Draper City staff detail process for planning and building new trails

Brad Jensen, project manager in Draper City's Parks and Recreation Department, described the department's step-by-step process for planning and constructing new trails in the city. "Any trail that we plan out, we take to the city council for their final approval," Jensen said, placing formal planning and public input at the start of the process.

Jensen said staff begin by deciding the intended user for each trail'bike, hiking or equestrian'because that determines design features: "For example, for hiking trails, we may put steps in. For a bike trail, we wanna do some bank turns and have the trail be more flowy." He said the team uses GIS mapping and topographic reviews to identify steep areas and cliffs to avoid and reviews aerial imagery to locate vegetation and boulders that will shape the alignment.

After digital planning, Jensen said crews perform field visits to "ground proof" map features and produce a flagged alignment that is downloaded into an app such as OnX Maps; crews also use a chronometer to verify trail grades before construction begins. "Once we have finished our flag alignment out in the field, we then have our trails crew or we hire a trail contractor to go out and start constructing the trail," he said.

Greg Hilbig, Draper's trails and open space manager, described on-the-ground construction: initial chainsaw clearing, multiple machine passes with a trail dozer and a small excavator, then hand work to refine tread and trim roots and overhangs. Hilbig said crews install drainage features where needed, including pipes beneath trails or "armored crossings" of rock to stabilize wet areas and allow water to drain through.

Hilbig also described how crews make ecological trade-offs during construction: preserving slower-regenerating mountain mahogany where possible and removing some oak that regrows faster, and routing trails around or incorporating rock features. "There's a lot of thought that goes into it before we put machines on the ground," he said. "Our trails have become some of the most popular in the area."

The presentation focused on the department's internal planning and construction practices; Jensen indicated that final trail proposals are brought to the Draper City Council for approval but the talk did not record any formal council action or vote. Next steps for particular trail projects, including schedules or funding sources, were not specified during the presentation.