This private property is currently owned by the NEA4WD, after purchasing it from a member club in 2018. The association used its Land Fund to purchase the property almost entirely by cash. Member Clubs helped pay the balance in a very short amount of time. Under the previous club’s ownership, in 2016, the property’s trails needed some simple maintenance. Mohawk 4×4 Adventures offered to conduct a Land Stewardship day to help have continued recreational use. The maintenance was to be done on the existing corduroy bridges on or near sensitive soils. This simple trail hardening is sometimes called, Trail Armor. It prevents erosion. It allows using on hand materials like branches and logs from fallen trees, which basically becomes stable, compacted Earth. The purpose of trail hardening is to, “Keep water off trails and trails out of water.” This is a major artery on our Multi-Loop 4×4 Trail System, and was originally permitted by loggers for much large vehicles. Projects like this are done for sustainability.
Here is a before picture of one existing corduroy bridge. The original bridge was 7 years old, and had been used through out the logging operation in 2009-2010 by 30,000 lb machines with spiked chains on tires or steel treads. Water pooling on the surface from previous wear and tear was noted in 2010. Clubs continued to use it as permitted but it needed maintenance for sustainable use.
Mohawk 4×4 Adventures led the volunteer event with some Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs members. The plan was simple. Have a fun and safe day repairing the ruts and then going 4 wheeling.
Here’s the same section of trail after our repair. It still looks natural today (February, 2026) with less debris on the ground, with less mud and a lot less water pooling up. It’s suitable for any 4×4 to cross now and preserved the location of the original trail tread.
Drainage added at the lowest point helps prevent pooling.
This rut was repaired with sections of fallen trees cut to length. it is still durable and dry today. The wood has become dirt. In the upper left corner, is a large piece of deadfall. This diverts water off the trail ahead.
