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Cycle Trail Design Guide and Grading Guide (New Zealand)

The New Zealand Cycle Trail Design Guide and Grading Guide were released in August 2011 by the Ministry of Economic Development. The Cycle Trail Design Guide draws on a wealth of trail design and construction techniques from New Zealand and around the world. The Grading Guidelines are designed to apply consistent gradings to New Zealand Cycle Trails.

The basis for trail design is the selection of a trail grade, and recognition of the trail criteria that define that grade. This selection will reflect the chosen target audience, from "renaissance riders" seeking easy Grade 1 trails to mountain biking enthusiasts looking for higher grade trails to test their fitness and skill.

On a well-designed trail, users will enjoy the beautiful scenery and riding experience, without being distracted by design flaws, such as a gap in signage or uncharacteristically difficult sections. Their memories will be of the scenery, the camaraderie and the sense of accomplishment, not whether the trail was too hard for them in places, or they got lost along the way. The Cycle Trail Design Guide explains the how to avoid these pitfalls, and plan a trail that will be consistent, not only from one end to the other, but also within the whole NZCT network.

The Cycle Trail Design Guide includes chapters on:

The Grading Guidelines provide instructions on grading trails by:

Cycle Trail Design Guide | 3.91MB PDF

NZCT Grading Guidelines | 694KB PDF