Trail In A Box: Just Add Volunteers

Mike Goodwin of the Kansas Trail Council
 

Mike Goodwin of the Kansas Trails Council runs the "Trail In A Box" program, which is funded in part by the Sunflower Foundation. Here he indicates where the next trail — located at Douglas State Fishing Lake in Baldwin City — will be cleared by community volunteers using the tools in Trail In A Box.

“Trail In A Box” is a tool box on wheels with everything a group of community volunteers needs to create a public nature trail. Groups can apply to use Trail In A Box through the Kansas Trails Council, which launched the program in 2013.

While urban trails are typically built by local government agencies, most natural surface trails are built by volunteer groups. These groups often lack the costly tools or expertise needed to build a trail — that’s where Trail In A Box comes in.

There are currently three trailers in the Trail In A Box program, which communities can borrow for up to several months at a time.

In the short video below, Mike Goodwin of the Kansas Trails Council talks about some of the main trail-building tools that are loaded on the trailers.

Mike Goodwin Shows Us "Trail In A Box"

Tools in a Trail In A Box trailer:

  • Brush mower
  • Chainsaw
  • String trimmer and blade attachment
  • Leaf blower
  • 10 Pulaski axes
  • 5 McLeod rakes
  • 10 By-pass loppers
  • 5 hand saws
  • Stone-moving winches, chains and levers
  • Sledge hammer and hand hammers
  • Post hole digger
  • Shovel
  • Leaf rakes
  • Backpack herbicide sprayer
  • Trail surveying equipment
  • Goggles, ear protection, and other safety equipment
  • First aid kit
 

About Sunflower Trails
The Sunflower Foundation works closely with groups like the Kansas Trails Council and outdoor advocates like Mike Goodwin. This innovative project is one of many grants that the foundation awards yearly under its “Sunflower Trails” program, which is committed to making Kansas one of the best “trail” states in the country. Learn more about the Sunflower Trails program.

Find a trail and “Get Outdoors” -— it’s good for your health!


For more information and to apply for the program, visit KansasTrailsCouncil.org.