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Home / Mountain Bike Trails / Advocacy

Fall Trail Maintenance: Rake the Leaves, or Leave Them Be? [Survey]

While not everyone is involved in maintaining their local bike trails (yet), many of us have opinions about what to do with autumn leaves.

By Jeff Barber
November 1, 2020 Last Updated: November 5, 2020

22 comments

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For many mountain bikers, answering this could involve a bit of armchair quarterbacking. Still, most of us do have an opinion about how to deal with leaves on the trail.

For those whose annual trail maintenance work is of the armchair variety, consider this a nudge toward getting involved in helping your local trail organization. 🙂 Besides, only you can do the job exactly the way you want it done!

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Jeff Barber

Jeff Barber has been mountain biking since 1992 and has tested hundreds of mountain bikes and components. He is the co-founder of Singletracks and serves as Editor in Chief. Contact him at [email protected].

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22 Comments

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chiefsilverback New Hampshire // 2020
Nov 3, 2020

As a relatively new rider exploring trails for the first time leaves can be a real impediment both in knowing where the trail actually goes, and also from seeing all the rocks and roots that are so prevalent here in NH. For those commenting about the negative impact to soil erosion/quality by removing leaves doesn't having hundreds of bikes riding the trails all season long have a far more detrimental impact than clearing the leaves off a 12-24" strip of earth?

2 reply

DoctorJD 2011
Nov 5, 2020

I have been a staunch advocate for both sides over the years. I was once fully convinced that blowing the trails was the only answer. Now, I've done a 180 on the issue. Here's why: I've seen the negative effects of on a trail from habitual blowing. I've seen the positive effects of leaving the leaves to decay/mulch and add to the organic layer. Let me add that I don't believe there is a black-and-white answer to this question.

Some trails are fully capable of handling blowing, others (as I have seen) have almost been destroyed as a result. It was like the top 2" of dirt had literally been taken off the trail, leaving a spider web of roots. I'm a trail volunteer at my local trails, and I'm a part-timer at another. We quit blowing the trails three years ago at my full-time gig, and we couldn't be happier. The trails are in the best shape they've ever been in. The other trails I (part-time) volunteer on...the land manager is obsessed with having the trails leaf-free.

Like I said, I don't think there is a black-and-white answer to the issue. In truth, the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. It should be dictated by what the trail is capable of handling.

2 reply

Mel Safran 2018
Nov 2, 2020

We have a one mile + ridge trail with a lot of big rocks that get hidden by the leaves. With one blower pass, they are visible for the winter and spring and fewer people get hurt.

1 reply

Lonnie Milligan 2019
Nov 2, 2020

A lot of wet leaves means it takes longer for the trail to reopen after a rain. And if you can't tell where the trail is going it's a hazard.

0 reply

Starbright New Jersey // 2020
Nov 3, 2020

Blowing leaves is a sin for sure. Its a fact that doing so has a significant impact on soil erosion and completely changes the life cycle of soil decomposition which is and has been a natural process on this earth since the beginning of time.

0 reply

beerfriday Vermont // 2015
Nov 2, 2020

Grade reversals and culverts should be cleared.... water needs to be able to move... spots where braiding is occurring should have main targeted line cleared... Otherwise don't believe in clearing leaves mostly because time is not an infinite resource. Generally believe the 'frost protection' theory is a little bit hoodoo as leaves just hide what is going on with the soil beneath.

0 reply

Mrgmtnbiker Pennsylvania // 2017
Nov 5, 2020

Here in the mid-atlantic, leaves hold moisture on the trail which facilitates erosion through the creation of additional mud and mud mixed with decomposing leaves. Leaf free trails shed water better and dry sooner, particularly when the trees are dormant. Trails are not a natural feature of the forest and need periodic maintenance. Blow the leaves off the trails!

0 reply

Alan Georgia // 2013
Nov 5, 2020

I have been helping out with trail maintenance for several years. For the most part you want to leave the leaves where they are to keep down the erosion from all the precipitation that we receive during the winter months. That being said I do rack out the spots that try to hold water so it want form a puddle which will turn into a muddy mess when folks ride when it’s wet.

0 reply

Sunspot Colorado // 2019
Nov 8, 2020

I think I saw Jeff out on the trail filling up a few of those pumpkin face bags with leaves! :P

0 reply

Olivedjazzer Kentucky // 2020
Nov 1, 2020

I think the argument could be made either way...

We saw up fallen trees and remove those which are natural, why are leaves different?

But for me, the added challenge of riding a trail covered in beautiful leaves is a bit of fun. Obviously there are certain sections of trails that would be overly dangerous if leaves are left on.

I suppose it really just depends on how much of a risk is too much. Which is true of any trail choice. At the end of the day I tend to side with Nature. We're merely guests out there.

0 reply

limbojim Massachusetts // 2019
Nov 1, 2020

IMO, removing leaves from dirt trails may facilitate erosion, especially in hilly terrain.

0 reply

jjMustang Indiana // 2019
Nov 1, 2020

If the trail is easy to see, leave them be. Sometimes the trails are so narrow it's difficult to see where to go or there are hazards under the leaves (rocks and roots) . In the latter case, it's better to blow them away.

0 reply

MTBMike4111 Iowa // 2013
Nov 5, 2020

Yup that's what we do as well

0 reply

Flyinlow 2018
Nov 1, 2020

What JJMustang said...

0 reply

CycleKrieg Minnesota // 2017
Nov 1, 2020

If you live a place with heavy to moderate frost, blowing the leaves before the ground freezes, helps melt the frost faster in the spring. Otherwise the leaves sit there as insulating blanket. Really blowing leaves depends on soil and weather. Its possible to have one trail that needs to be blown and one across town that you shouldn't blow.

0 reply

gwgagnon 2012
Nov 2, 2020

In the northeast most trails are used for fatbike once it snow which hold snow better if they don’t have leaves 🍁

0 reply

David_McGill Texas // 2013
Nov 5, 2020

It depends on whether it is a safety issue or not. If there are so many leaves that it makes it very difficult to follow the trail, then they should probably be removed. I am on the trail crew of Northshore trail in the Dallas area. It is probably the most popular trail in the Dallas area. With so many riders every day, the leaves are naturally kept to a minimum and we never have to do any leaf removal. But I can see a situation where there are more leaves and less riders that would require leaf removal for safety reasons.

0 reply

killer climb Pennsylvania // 2019
Nov 1, 2020

Leaves can certainly make trails very difficult or should I say challenging and certain types of trails require a good amount of maintenance as well. Trails here in northeast PA (south mt) are full of rock for most of the riding and the leaves take away the sight of how tricky the rocks make it to ride but they also blanket them with a softness you only get one time a year. You cant see the rocks to find traction but you can see the bumps in the leaves to navigate. Certainly not for everybody but soon enough they will decay and blow away with winter winds.

0 reply

Sunspot Colorado // 2019
Nov 2, 2020

Part of the natty experience is the seasons and what they bring. I love a natural trail system over anything man made for the most part. Either one of two bikes will be on the prowl... The RSD Wildcat plusser/full squish or the RSD Middlechild, a pithy singlespeed plusser with an attitude. All the seasons bring challenge that is great to ride and enjoy. Thanks for the article and survey, Jeff.

0 reply

Gaber Maryland // 2019
Nov 1, 2020

Personally, I think that the leaves should be left alone unless they hide features in a way that would make the feature dangerous to an unsuspecting rider. Would you try to melt the ice off of a frozen trail?

0 reply

chucksrevenge Michigan // 2017
Nov 13, 2020

as far as cleaning the leaves if there isn't any more important trai maitainess to do and its a trail day than why not blow or rake leaves off but in reality there is probably always more important issues to attend to

0 reply

timothy88 2014
Nov 6, 2020

Where I ride most often there are a lot of oak leaves that get caught in everything so I’m constantly stopping to remove them, and they take forever to break down. In the areas with maples, pines, or ash trees the leaves generally aren’t an issue as they either break down very quickly or in my experience with pines don’t get caught in anything.

-1 reply

Tagged: advocacy, autumn, leaf blower, mtb trail maintenance, survey, trail maintenance, trail work, trails

First published November 1, 2020 @ 2:24:04