The Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department invites you to review and comment on the Trails Management Manual. The manual outlines guidelines for best practices in trail planning, construction, and maintenance standards within Maricopa County’s regional park system.
“The department’s original Trails Management Manual was developed in 2004,” stated R.J. Cardin, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department Director. “The revised trails manual includes detailed maintenance standard illustrations, signage and marker guidelines, and addresses objectives such as trail quality, connectivity, visitor experience, resource protection, agency cooperation, trail sustainability, and community engagement.”
These objectives are meant to document and make the department’s management process transparent for the trail system, while also providing a reference point for trail planning, construction, and management. In addition, the objectives outline the vision and desired conditions for the entire trail system while providing consistency and stability for long-term management.
“Our team recently completed their final review on the 2017 Trails Management Manual. Now, we are interested in obtaining input from our peers and park visitors to determine whether or not we have areas in the manual that may require clarification or expansion,” said Cardin.
The public comment period for the draft Trails Management Manual concludes at close of business on Friday, February 16, 2018. Once the process has been completed, the proposed manual will be presented to the Maricopa County Parks Commission for approval at their regularly scheduled meeting at 9:00 a.m. on March 20.
Once completed and approved, the document will be housed on the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department’s website and made available for outside agencies to use as a reference while developing their own trails management manuals.
To view a copy of the draft Trails Management Manual, visit https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/assets/1/6/Draft_2017_Trails_Management_Training_Manual_Update.pdf. Feedback will be collected via a survey link on the page. For additional assistance, contact the department’s parks and open space planner, Lauren Bromley, at (928) 501-9207 or LaurenBromley@mail.maricopa.gov.
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