My "Trail on Hill" project (railing, stone, install)

[rhbj03]

I am building a trail on a hill. I had asked several questions about various aspects of this (wood, soil, design, etc); and I find myself continuing to have more questions as I dwell into details. Hence I am opening this thread so I can gradually ask all my questions relating to this project in one place.

First a little background about the project:

The use: Will be very light; a few days each month; no one over 150 lbs.
The Terrain: The hill has a vertical rise of about 150', and is 230' long. So overall it's a 40 degree slope; but not consistently so. At the flatter area on hill top I can just walk on dirt; but at the bottom of the hill it is the steepest at about 55 degrees rise. I need to build some steps here. A couple of pictures below to show the terrain:

The yellow line in the picture show the least steep path down hill:


The slope at the bottom of the hill:


Due to various considerations, mainly budget limitation, I pretty much have to do this myself. So concrete is out of the question (too heavy & lack skill); as is stone slabs (too heavy) or too much earth moving (too much work), even traditional stair case (also too much work and lack knowledge). I don't need something super strong or elaborate; I just need something that's stable, simple, and durable.

My neighbor has a trail with wood steps. I think this is easy enough for me to do; so at the moment I am thinking in that same direction. I have a photo of their design in this thread: How long can thin pressure treated wood last in soil?

Along this line, I started with a design where the steps are "half embedded" into ground: Dig notches in the hill to create a flat surfaces for the steps; put 2x10X36 PT boards down, then anchor down with stakes/rebars. But I abandoned this idea because I think it can weaken the soil to remove vegetation:


So I arrived at this design, where steps completely rest on top of the soil and vegetation: Trim vegetation down to maybe 6" height, build each step with PT board (3 sides), use hooks and rings to connect them, then anchor every step down by driving stakes/rebar into ground. More stakes/rebar can be added to each step as necessary:


My first question is whether the design is OK if not optimal given my limitations.

[AZ Manager]

Why are you trying to reinvent the wheel here? The first link is a picture of the stairs I described it in your other thread, just found it from a google search for it because I know this public trail was done this way and is much steeper than what you have. The video is from This Old House of them doing a retaining wall that is basically what you need to do without the stone and only stacking 1-2 layers per step depending on the slope, you could do the stone if you want but you don't need it in your situation since you aren't holding that much ground back. There are loads of examples of making stairs from PT lumber and I'd be very cautious of the safety of your idea based on that drawing.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Location...x_Arizona.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaMPqKp6yvk

[harry chickpea]

The first question is "Why do you want to get to the top of the hill?"

[rhbj03]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

The first question is "Why do you want to get to the top of the hill?"

To get back to the house. =)

[rhbj03]

Originally Posted by AZ Manager

Why are you trying to reinvent the wheel here? The first link is a picture of the stairs I described it in your other thread, just found it from a google search for it because I know this public trail was done this way and is much steeper than what you have. The video is from This Old House of them doing a retaining wall that is basically what you need to do without the stone and only stacking 1-2 layers per step depending on the slope, you could do the stone if you want but you don't need it in your situation since you aren't holding that much ground back. There are loads of examples of making stairs from PT lumber and I'd be very cautious of the safety of your idea based on that drawing.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Location...x_Arizona.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaMPqKp6yvk

the slope in the pic looks like just 35 degrees? if i go this way on a 55 degree hill, i worry about the stability of the soil since vegetation covered soil has been eroding by itself even without pressure on it... wouldn't vegetation help?

[K'ledgeBldr]

I'm thinking something like 10.2mmX85m climbing rope and a harness.

Cheaper AND safer.

Whatever that "idea" is, is an accident waiting to happen!

[rhbj03]

Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr

I'm thinking something like 10.2mmX85m climbing rope and a harness.

Cheaper AND safer.

Whatever that "idea" is, is an accident waiting to happen!

The vegetation includes lots of poison oak; wading thru it is not a good idea. also, my parents will use the trail occasionally, so the climbing can't be too vigorous.

Rope works for me, though. I may install that to substitute for railing.

[rhbj03]

I have cleared a path through the 3' high vegetation to create a trail. It was a lot of work, not only because I had to saw through a bunch of 3" woody brush stems, the trail is 200' long and there is a 150' vertical drop. You can kind of see the house in the upper left of the picture because of the slope; I had to climb that hill at least 30 times.

Now I would like to prevent future vegetation growth on this trail

I am thinking about laying down weed guard, then on the flatter areas such as in this picture pave over with concrete pavers. I accept that the pavers will not be completely flat, because this is on a hill and putting a sand base doesn't seem feasible. Your thoughts on this?

For the steeper stretches I still have to figure out something to prevent vegetation growth, plus providing a firm stepping surface. Any suggestion on that is also welcomed.

I have very limited budget so have to aim for the least expensive options.

[movinon]

I would do some type of water bar erosion system. You can google that and you'll find the ones made just of dirt as well as wood or rock water bars. I have spent quite a bit of time in the Sierras both on foot and horseback and have seen all the versions many times.

How do I Install a Water Bar Drainage System? | eHow

I have to admire your perseverance! What a mountain goat project. I do wonder about the erosion you'll experience - it may turn into a waterfall. Have you talked with your county's soil conservation district?

[rhbj03]

Originally Posted by movinon

I would do some type of water bar erosion system. You can google that and you'll find the ones made just of dirt as well as wood or rock water bars. I have spent quite a bit of time in the Sierras both on foot and horseback and have seen all the versions many times.

How do I Install a Water Bar Drainage System? | eHow

I have to admire your perseverance! What a mountain goat project. I do wonder about the erosion you'll experience - it may turn into a waterfall. Have you talked with your county's soil conservation district?

Thank you; I will look into that.