What’s Really Happening in the Trail World Right Now
Photo credit: Mathew Wanbon
Inside Volume 4, Issue 1 of Trail Builder Magazine
There’s something happening right now in the trail world.
You can feel it. I certainly can feel it, even though my life is surrounded by it.
It shows up in the stories that land in my inbox. In the DMs from readers. In the momentum building in places most people would never think to look.
Different places. Same thread.
And in putting together Volume 4, Issue 1 of Trail Builder Magazine, that thread became impossible to ignore.
Before we get into it, a quick note.
This issue is arriving a little later than planned.
The past couple of months have been full for me personally ... packing, moving, getting settled, and slowly working my way out of boxes. That kind of life shift has a way of slowing everything down … like releasing a print magazine.
So, thank you for your patience. And genuinely, I appreciate you sticking with it.
Now, back to the work.
Photo credit: Collin Stroup
Building Is Only the Beginning
In Zionsville, Indiana, a trail didn’t struggle because of bad intentions.
Instead, it struggled because building something is only the beginning.
What followed was the real work, volunteers stepping in, partnerships forming, and a community learning how to take ownership of what had been created.
It’s a good reminder that trails don’t succeed merely because they exist, but because people continue to show up for them.
Where It Starts (And How It Grows)
In this issue, you’ll also meet Niels Bensink.
A racer. A builder. Someone who started shaping dirt in his backyard before he even had the language for it.
That’s how a lot of this begins.
Not with a job title. Not with a plan. Just curiosity, a shovel, and the instinct to build something he thought was worth riding.
Over time, that instinct turns into something bigger.
Let’s Be Honest About Who Builds Trails
There’s a question that comes up often: Who actually builds and maintains all of this?
It’s not trail fairies.
It’s volunteers.
Small groups. Big groups. People showing up on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings, doing work that is often invisible but always essential.
The Craft of Building
Then there are builders like Mark Matthews.
For them, trail building is about creation.
It’s reading terrain. Shaping features. Letting the land guide what gets built.
It’s a process ... and it rarely ends up looking exactly like the original plan.
Photo credit: Randall Archie
When Trail Work Becomes Something More
And then there are stories like Alex’s.
What starts as clearing brush to make a ride better turns into something else entirely.
A rhythm. A responsibility. A way to process life when it gets heavy.
Trail work as therapy.
When Systems Catch Up
Zoom out even further, and Scotland offers a glimpse of what’s possible when systems catch up to the energy that already exists.
What begins as unsanctioned, passion-driven building can evolve into something collaborative, structured, and deeply embedded in a region’s identity and economy.
Photo credit: Colin Field
Different Stories. Same Reality.
Different places. Different people.
Same reality.
Trails are built, maintained, and carried forward by people who choose to show up.
Sometimes that’s a partnership.
Sometimes it’s a solo builder.
Sometimes it’s a small group trying to keep something alive.
And sometimes, it’s something deeper.
A Look Inside Volume 4, Issue 1
These are the kinds of stories that make up Volume 4, Issue 1 of Trail Builder Magazine.
Stories about process, people, and communities figuring it out in real time.
Stories that don’t always get told, but should.
Volume 4, Issue 1 is releasing soon.
If you want to go deeper into these stories, you can subscribe here.
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag, a digital media instructor, and the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. Email:sean@trailbuildermag.com
