Abstract
Many people across the United States enjoy hiking as a way of exploring undeveloped landscapes. This activity enables people to foster a direct connection with the natural world through a form of ecotourism. The hiking trails supporting this activity must be actively maintained in order for the general public to have access to these otherwise inaccessible areas. This work is done by maintenance crews and volunteers who often must undertake field expeditions to keep the trails open, accessible, and safe. These forays into the backcountry necessitate significant forethought and planning. Many trail managers have experienced difficulty in gathering data informing them of how to best maintain the areas under their purview. This report summarizes the work planned and carried out for the purposes of trail maintenance in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire. Data regarding the maintenance tasks were compiled and analyzed to determine an approximate monetary value for maintaining a hiking trail. There was a significant difference in the speed of cutting back overgrown vegetation from trails in Wilderness areas compared to non-Wilderness areas, with the speed in Wilderness being faster. No significant differences in the clearance times for drainages or blown down trees were found. The computed averages for times needed to complete maintenance tasks were compiled and used to generate a Cost Estimation Equation. This data can allow managers to estimate the cost of maintenance prior to work beginning and better allocate their resources based on the findings. While specifics may vary depending on environment and circumstances, the core planning principles for this expedition can be applied to other contexts. This provides a useful model for applications into other remote environments.