National Trail Surfaces Study

Purpose

For many years, the National Center on Accessibility (NCA) at Indiana University received questions from organizations, agencies and individuals on how to make natural surface trails firm and stable. The inquires centered on what materials would provide a firm and stable surface so people with disabilities could have a quality trail experience AND would blend in with and be friendly to the environment. In 2004, the National Center on Accessibility initiated a research study of trail surfaces funded by the U.S. Access Board. The longitudinal study objective was to evaluate the ability of a variety of aggregate and organic or natural by-product soil stabilizer trail surface materials to meet firmness and stability accessibility guidelines over a five-year period of use (data were collected over 51 months).