Malibu Property
The primary goal of this project is to design and create a private, low-maintenance mountain-bike–specific trail that supports multiple uses, including morning workouts, guest riders, skills development, youth riding, and improved walking access to previously hard-to-reach areas of the property. The trail design will align with the property’s existing aesthetics, infrastructure, and pathways. It will be approachable and safe for children while offering enough progression and features to remain engaging for more advanced riders.
Pisgah Trail Co constructed a .3 mile long trail circumnavigating the client's property using sustainable building practices and design. Tread is made up of native dirt and armored with flagstone in areas with erosion concerns. Boulders were placed along the trail backslope in steeper areas. Two flat bridges were constructed on the south side, and 3 separate rolling boardwalks were constructed on the north side. A skills loop with stone-armored jumps are located on the south side of the property. Trail features have multiple options to accommodate differing riding abilities.
Week 1
Once completed the 2,400 mile drive from NC to CA, the work began!
Started with the initial corridor to create a path into the remote areas of the property
Cutting and removal of brush from and around the corridor
Relocating some irrigation to accommodate the new trail
Nearly 20 tons of brush, stumps, garbage, old fence, and old construction materials were removed from this property
Week 2
Finished up the removal of brush
Hand cutting in pieces of bench
The first load of rock delivered and brought onto the trail to create boulder walls and flagstone armoring
Holes dug for concrete forms for the flat bridges and curved boardwalks
Framing began for the flat bridges and curved boardwalks
Week 3
Once framing was complete, the decking began for the flat bridges and curved boardwalks
All bridges and boardwalks were decked with IPE to match the existing decks across the property
The main big boulder wall was constructed between two of the curved boardwalks to create a seamless and smooth transition between them
The top of the boulder wall was armored with flagstone to match the rest of the trail
Each of the bridges and boardwalks has a large piece of flagstone, cut by a circular saw, to keep dirt from washing away and creating an uneven transition
Week 4
The small skills park area was finished up with some step stones as lips to maintain a consistent takeoff
Consistent watering was required to keep moisture in the dirt to create a clean, packed finish
Some final pieces of metal square tubing were bent to finish the railings on all the boardwalks
Concrete work at the beginning/end of the trail where it meets the driveway
Seeding, hay, and watering on all the backslopes and open dirt areas to help stabilize and beautify the trail
Final clean-up of the trail and property to leave a polished product
Packed up the tools and machines onto the truck and trailer to head back to NC!
