Alabama State Parks, in partnership with North Alabama Trails & Recreation, is offering a four-day Trail Master Course, a part of the Trail Crew Workshop series, at Joe Wheeler State Park on March 23rd-27th, 2025.
Trail Master Certification Course is a four-day intensive training camp that will cover the latest advances in trail design, construction and maintenance with a focus on long-term sustainability and ease of maintenance. Participants will be provided with a detailed booklet specific to each segment of the course.
Topics will include how to properly design and lay out a trail, how to avoid erosion and other environmental issues, how to handle user conflicts, proper construction techniques, how to rehabilitate existing trails, and a host of other topics. The course will include both classroom learning and hands-on practical trail experience.
PRICING:
$750/person. Cost does not include lodging, but a discounted room rate is available at Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge upon registration. Any online payments will incur an additional $25 for processing.
By attending this course, you will receive Trail Master Certification, and can bring back the trail building expertise to your organization to start building and maintaining trails without being dependent on outside trailbuilding services.
Additionally, in order to participate in the Mechanized Trail Building course (which trains you to use a mini-skid steer to build trails), also offered in the Trail Crew Workshop series, Trail Master Certification is a prerequisite.
This course is taught by Mike Riter of Trail Design Specialists, a professional trailbuilding service.