The status of blazing?

[sierra]

I have a random observation and if I'm off base then it's me. As I have been hiking last few years, primarily the 52wav, I have noticed that blazes in general are not so great to downright poor. I know blazing can be a contentious subject, my point here is not necessarily to debate that, but to establish if blazing is being let go on purpose? I like blazes, I think they are important to keep people on the path which keeps the integrity of the trails and in the long run prevents erosion. Many turns are missed and herd paths form quite quickly. if they form at downhill turns, water can really form some ditches quick. I also hike all winter and that's when blazes really come into play, routes like Carr Mt still have pretty good paths, but the occasional blaze can be very helpful. I know we have some trail maintainers out here and also some pretty experienced hikers, are blazes going out? or is trail maintenance in general lacking?

 

[maineguy]

I always thought that the trail marking in the Whites was poor. Adirondacks were about the same. Out here, there is no blazing. Above treeline there are cairns, but as you know, most routes above timberline are just routes, not official trails.

 

[Ken MacGray]

Don't quote me on this but my general understanding is that USFS prefers a well-defined corridor over blazing. At least I recall a mention of that several years ago when I was tending to Mt. Tremont Trail. (Please correct me if I'm mistaken on this.)

It's also my understanding that no new blazing is done on ledges/rocks.

But yes, having enough volunteers is also an issue.

(This post is a good reminder to do fall cleanup on my adopted section of Downes Brook Trail, which has no blazes.)

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

(This post is a good reminder to do fall cleanup on my adopted section of Downes Brook Trail, which has no blazes.)

I was on that trail twice this year and it's a nice trail and in good shape. Thanks for your efforts. (I can imagine it's a very tough trail in high water periods though.)

 

[sierra]

I always thought that the trail marking in the Whites was poor. Adirondacks were about the same. Out here, there is no blazing. Above treeline there are cairns, but as you know, most routes above timberline are just routes, not official trails.

I like cross country travel out west, but it's a different animal altogether. I know in CA, I had to do some major adjusting to my hiking with the minimal use of any trail markers, a two rock cairn was like gold. IN CO, some of the use trails would fade away only to be picked up later. But the primary difference above treeline for navigational purposes, is that a map and compass is fairly easy to use with line of site as you get up high. I got lost once in CO trying to find a "use trail" after coming off Mt. Columbia. I had to just forget finding it and hike out without it. The valley was so pronounced that it was a relatively easy bushwhack and I picked up the trail a few miles later. The worst part was that I was not tired, I was dead tired having just traversed over from Mt. Harvard, I think I was over 13,500 for 7 hours? Wandering around in the woods solo with no trail that far from a paved road was a nerve tester. But I got 2 14ers.

 

[DayTrip]

Adirondacks were about the same.

I haven't done a ton of hiking in the Adirondacks and Catskills (maybe 18 or 20 peaks combined) and I thought the blazing was excellent. Use very conspicuous metal disks, frequent enough spacing and easy to spot by day or headlamp. And they're color coded for North-South trails, East West Trails, etc (Red, Yellow and Blue - I forget what was what). The only thing I actually found confusing was the signs at intersections. There are plenty of signs but as I recall they mention destinations, not the trail names. It took a little getting used to (which was greatly aided by color coded markers and a quick glance at the map). For example, If you took the John Doe River Trail between Unknown Lake and Mary Smith Cabin, the signs would mention distances to these places, not that it was the John Doe River Trail.

Generally speaking I think blazes are best employed at lower elevations in open woods where a corridor, even well maintained, can be pretty vague depending on the exact type of plants and trees. As you get into scrub, most pines and above tree line the trail/corridor is usually pretty obvious and less blazing is necessary, if any at all (other than cairns above tree line or on extensive ledge in the scrub). I encounter far more challenges with trail finding here in MA and CT around my house. Blazing is quite mixed here too. No national forests though, only state and local parks, so I guess the variation is to be expected without one governing body setting the standards.

 

[sierra]

I haven't done a ton of hiking in the Adirondacks and Catskills (maybe 18 or 20 peaks combined) and I thought the blazing was excellent. Use very conspicuous metal disks, frequent enough spacing and easy to spot by day or headlamp. And they're color coded for North-South trails, East West Trails, etc (Red, Yellow and Blue - I forget what was what). The only thing I actually found confusing was the signs at intersections. There are plenty of signs but as I recall they mention destinations, not the trail names. It took a little getting used to (which was greatly aided by color coded markers and a quick glance at the map). For example, If you took the John Doe River Trail between Unknown Lake and Mary Smith Cabin, the signs would mention distances to these places, not that it was the John Doe River Trail.

Generally speaking I think blazes are best employed at lower elevations in open woods where a corridor, even well maintained, can be pretty vague depending on the exact type of plants and trees. As you get into scrub, most pines and above tree line the trail/corridor is usually pretty obvious and less blazing is necessary, if any at all (other than cairns above tree line or on extensive ledge in the scrub). I encounter far more challenges with trail finding here in MA and CT around my house. Blazing is quite mixed here too. No national forests though, only state and local parks, so I guess the variation is to be expected without one governing body setting the standards.

I like the sound of the markers in the ADK. One method of blazing or markers I have seen and always thought was very helpful was color coding trails. You get to a junction and it's easy to follow the correct color. The Belknap's use that system and I always thought it was efficient. The Belknap map I use color codes all the trails and it makes trip planning a breeze when reading the map and putting together a route using multiple trails. The Ossipee Range is another well thought our trail system. You will never find better signed junctions anywhere, I have seen 5 signs on one tree, with trail names and destinations. When I discovered the Ossipee's I thought that trail system looked daunting, but I have never even questioned a route choice at any junction. Granted the only caveat was it took a bit of research to find a map that covers the entire 10 peaks of the range, and that map (trail Bandit map) is considered taboo by some purist.