Switchback at a glance
- Purpose
- Holds the grade walkable
- Typical grade
- Under about 10 percent
- Cutting one
- Creates a water channel
Why trails zigzag instead of going straight up
A trail that runs straight up a fall line is both exhausting and doomed. Water follows the same line, and a channel running directly downhill scours the tread into a gully within a couple of seasons. Switchbacks hold the grade to something walkable, usually under about ten percent, and let water leave the trail sideways instead of running down it.
That is why a shortcut between two legs is not a small sin. It creates exactly the fall line the trail was built to avoid, and once water finds it the new channel widens every time it rains. Trail crews spend a large share of their season disguising and rebuilding cut corners.
Walking them well
On a long switchbacked climb the useful adjustment is your poles rather than your legs. Shorten them a few centimetres going up so your forearm stays near horizontal at the plant, and lengthen them going down. On tight turns most people simply slide a hand onto the choke-up grip for the few steps rather than stopping to adjust.
The inside of a turn is usually the loosest and most eroded ground, since it takes the most traffic and the least maintenance. Taking the outside line is easier on your ankles and on the trail.
What this means when you're choosing
- Poles that adjust quickly, since a long switchbacked climb is where fixed-length poles annoy
- A choke-up grip, which handles short pitches without stopping to change length
- Signs and brush piles across a cut corner, which mark a closure rather than an obstacle
The common mistake
Cutting the corner to save a few steps
The shortcut becomes a water channel, the channel becomes a gully, and the gully eventually takes out the switchback itself. It is the most common and most expensive damage hikers do, and it is entirely avoidable by walking the extra twenty paces.
Common questions
Why is cutting switchbacks so bad?
The shortcut runs straight down the fall line, which is exactly what the switchback exists to avoid. Water takes the new line, scours it into a channel and eventually undermines the trail above and below it.
Should I shorten my poles on switchbacks?
Going up, yes, by a few centimetres, so your forearm sits near horizontal when the tip lands. On a climb full of tight turns most people just slide a hand down onto the choke-up grip instead of adjusting each time.
Where this is defined
- Trail construction and maintenance notebook, USDA Forest Service
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics