National Trail Surfaces Study

Delimitations

The study was delimited in scope by the following:

• Data from this study were obtained from a longitudinal study administered through the National Center on Accessibility (NCA) at Indiana University;

• One category of surface materials, constructed soil/aggregate surfaces out of six identified were chosen for participation in the study;

• Size of the site limited total number of trail surface products that were able to be installed;

• Trail surfaces were evaluated on site using a Rotational Penetrometer (RP) to determine firmness and stability of the surface; and

• Firmness and stability readings were evaluated based on the recommended values of the U.S. Access Board in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Outdoor Developed Areas (U.S. Access Board, 2007).