The purpose of this manual is to provide clear and helpful information for maintaining gravel roads. Very little technical help is available to small agencies that are responsible for managing these roads. Gravel road maintenance has traditionally been "more of an art than a science" and very few formal standards exist. This manual contains guidelines to help answer the questions that arise concerning gravel road maintenance such as: What is enough surface crown? What is too much? What causes corrugation? The information is as nontechnical as possible without sacrificing clear guidelines and instructions on how to do the job right.

This is the classic, comprehensive manual on how to build a footpath to withstand the beating of 8 million boots a year (some hitting the ground 5 million times), to rest lightly on the land, to preserve the natural resources around it, and to allow a true backcountry experience-all at the same time. It is addressed to those who work on the Appalachian Trail-4,500 volunteers putting in a total of more than 185,000 hours a year-but is used by veteran and novice trail-builders around the world because of the success of the Appalachian Trail system. Illustrated with more than 50 photographs and 100 explanatory drawings, this manual includes design and construction specifications and lists of tools and U.S. suppliers.