By Terri Miyamoto
Crozet Trails Crew President
On a chilly, gray morning in February, 17 volunteers from the Crozet Trails Crew met in Old Trail to build a bog bridge in the area designated by Albemarle County for Western Park. When they left, just before noon, and just before a cold rain started, more than 250 feet of a new pathway had been built to keep feet dry when walking across a low, boggy area. How did this project come about?
If you go into the area of Old Trail that has been set aside for Western Park, you will see a sign marking the Lindy Baine Loop that shows the route of a trail that had previously been used for walking and running, especially by teams from Western Albemarle High School. Part of that route goes through a marshy area. In the past, a few small bridges had been built over the wettest spots. Over time, as the development of Old Trail changed the routes of trails in the area and the existing wooden structures deteriorated, the section of trail became less usable.
Members of the Old Trail HOA reached out to the Crozet Trails Crew to say that community members wanted the trail to be reestablished. After conferring with Albemarle County Parks and Recreation—which is responsible for the area—the Trails Crew agreed to take on the job of repairing the trail and making it more accessible to casual walkers.
Members of the Trails Crew and Old Trail residents reconnoitered the area with Tucker Rollins, the trail maintenance supervisor for the county, and marked out the desired route, also noting what old bridges needed to be removed. It is a difficult area for trail building because of the wet soil. It’s also an area that will eventually be developed as a county park, so anything built there will be temporary. After investigating some solutions on other local trails in similar environments, and researching ways to build a walkway, the project of a bog bridge developed.
The bog bridge lies on top of the soil, and will move up and down with the degree of wetness. It is narrow by design, minimizing materials and labor. The sections are attached to each other to maintain stability, yet it is modular, so any particular section can be replaced if necessary.
The restored trail is more rustic route than the graveled trails elsewhere in Western Park, but it provides a loop walk for anyone wishing to walk from the community gardens off Brook View Road to the hill behind the Lodge at Old Trail. It also provides a more direct route for pedestrians from the neighborhood south of Jarmans Gap Road to the commercial center of Old Trail.
The Crozet Trails Crew has been working with Albemarle County to identify other areas where trails can be improved and developed in Western Park, with the goal of providing connected routes and beautiful places for people to walk and bike.
