😮 I'll be doing this! I used to think I was going overboard by having my own trail, but now I'm inspired. My family is going to hate me soon because they'll be put to work here 😊
Nice work! Beautiful. Have you considered using a skid steer in the future to help spread the chips more quickly and efficiently? Just a thought. Again, beautiful.
When I was a little girl I would go into the woods with a rake and I would rake pathways and create big round circles and put logs down to sit on and I would lime and the pathways with the logs and stones. It was my escape my secret place I love to fix it up and I made my own wood chips from fallen trees and the bark coming off of them. It was so much fun I did it for hours
That was a lot of work, but it was a good winter project that kept me active outdoors. I've been expanding the trail with extra paths here and there, which makes walking the property a little more fun to explore.
looks like you ahve a nice dry environment so the chips will last 2 to 4 years . have you done a 2nd layer yet? putting down cardboard will help supress the weeds.
My family has adjoining properties and we had a winding trail cut to connect each lot so that we could walk to each property without going out to the road. We have had 12 trucks of wood chips brought in and have just started getting estimates to spread it. The estimates received so far are just mind-blowing. Your video has encouraged me to just dig in and do it ourselves over time. It should be good exercise for us. Did you blow your leaves before spreading the wood chips? We were considering doing that first but it would be a lot of extra work. Thanks so much!
Hello, I did not blow any leaves first, but we just had thin little mesquite leaves and long with native grasses and such. The leaf layer might actually help to suppress any weeds or grasses from popping up through the mulch, so I'd suggest "leaving" them, haha. I want to say one big truckload was probably enough to do a 3ft wide quarter-mile trail for me, so 12 truck loads should get you pretty far depending on how wide and thick your trail will be. Renting a bobcat with a front end loader would probably make it go much quicker. Good luck!
Wow! That’s a lot of work. I don’t know if I feel more sorry for your feet and knees, or your arms and shoulders. It looks really great especially as the surrounding vegetation looks very prickly. A great idea.
Thank you! It was physically demanding, but it did seem to get easier with each new day. I'd start about 9am and go until about 3pm. I kind of enjoyed the exercise, but I'm glad it is done.
Love this video. The trail is awesome. All good things take hard work I think. I have 1 acre and have a vegetable garden close to the house and open field away from the house. It’s basically a rectangle with trees on the sides and berry bushes are the far end. I want to make a walking path with arbor mulch but put cardboard down first. I have one short path between two raised beds where that really worked to keep the weeds from popping up. But the work it will take to peel off the tape from the cardboard and cut it seems like a ton of work. If I could get away from doing that step it would be great. What do you think? The stuff I get isn’t jut wood chips, it’s kind of shredded from landscapers cuttings. Not sure how long it would last.Thanks for a great video.
Sorry, I just found this comment in my 'Held for review' comments section; No idea why. Glad you like the video! Personally, I don't think it is too big of a deal to leave the tape on the cardboard, especially if it's just going to be where you walk. I would think the tape would get brittle after a while and just kind of fall to pieces over time. You might check out my 'Wood Chip Fever' video. Towards the end I talk about ways to make wood chips last a bit longer'. That might help you with your pathway some. Thank you
I use cardboard with tape and labels. After about 6 months to a year as the cardboard breaks down. The tape will stick up and a little pull and it comes away clean 👍👍👍. No muss no fuss.
I carved out the trail initially through the mesquite, cactus, and brush using basic garden tools: loppers, handsaw, machete, shovel. I made the path wind around plants vs removing them entirely as much as I could. I'd toss cut branches and such off to the side out-of-site. Each year requires a bit of maintenance to take care of low hanging branches, encroaching cactus, etc. I walked that dirt path for a few years until I started to receive the free arborist wood chips. So far, the chips have cut down on the amount of weeds in the pathway, but some weeds still poke through. Laying down the wood chips was a lot more work than cutting the path initially. Using a cheap measuring wheel, I found the path was about 1/4 a mile. I divided that up into 4ths and placed stakes, so that I could start at any point on the trail to do laps and I'd know how far I'd gone (4 times around would be a mile). I find it much more fun to walk my own little forested path instead of just walking up and down the road.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment awesome. we just bought 5 acres and want to be able to use it for walks. it would also be nice to be able to access the entire property and keep an eye on everything. we are up in the blue ridge so its mostly brush and trees to go around. Thanks again 👍
Hello, I’m guessing any chipper would work. The more expensive ones allow you to chip thicker pieces of wood. I just get my wood chips for free from local tree service company’s who would normally have to pay to unload the chips at the dump ground.
That’s awesome! I have been trying off and on for months to find ideas online for DIY wood chip walking paths and I can’t seem to find much on it. I had started one at my house similar to yours only in the woods and I boarded the trail with logs. But I have off camber slopes to deal with so I’ve kinda hit a rut trying to rack my brain on how to build a level mulch path along a hillside and not spending a bunch of money doing it. I’d rather use what I have on the property. I’m hoping once I get going again I can make a video like yours to potentially help others out there with the same interest and who couldn’t find anything on the subject like myself. But awesome video and awesome walking path!
Thank you, glad you got something out of it! I’d be interested to see your video when you get yours complete. I’ve been thinking about doing a follow up video, kind of like a 6-month review to see how it’s held up so far.
The trail I started is about 30’ long and has been there for about a year. It doesn’t get much traffic but it has settled a lot and already needs to be refreshed. I’m not sure what the best type of wood to use is as far as lasting the longest on the ground but I’ve just been chipping random limbs and brush from my property with a DR chipper.
When I first started messing with the wood chips, I did look into getting a tractor with a front end loader and back hoe. Now that I look back, all of that work was a good bit of exercise for me. Perhaps when I get older I'll get me a machine to do the bulk of the work, but for now, I am the machine!
Here in NJ my garden has wood chip paths over an acre. The depth of the path will halve each year. By three or four years you will have created a wonderful compost path that will attract every weed and tree seed. For me this works as the composted chips are turned into the garden bed next to it. I move about 30-40 tons a year. I finally gave in and bought a motorized barrow that can shift 600lbs and I don't have to push the barrow or cart. My guess is in about four years you will regret having done this.
I hadn't seen a motorized barrow, but that sounds pretty awesome. Thank you for sharing your experience with the chips. I'm guessing my environment is a bit drier than yours, and the chips may not break down quite as quickly. I'm not too concerned about the unwanted weeds too much since the whole property is basically full of them. I didn't lay down the chips very thick, and I'm finding a lot of weeds came up through them. I'm thinking I'll need to refresh the path with new chips annually just to try to smother out the weeds. I've enjoyed having the path so far.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment West Texas: Yup a lot less rain than NJ. I spread the chips about 6" deep and that keeps down most weeds. I do this every other year to try to keep the 6". But it is a mulch so it keeps the moisture in too. Yardmax will ship a Brigs and Stratton motorized barrow for about $2K with four wheels or, as I have, with caterpillar tracks. Makes the job much easier.
Actually the weed pressure gets less. I have done this and you won’t regret it. Just cover deep and thick. The weeds that do come through pull out like butter. And I’m ordering a motor wheelbarrow also. 👍
@@blueskye991178 I used the packing crate the barrow came in to build sides I bolted on so I can load 500+ pounds of chips each time. Not recommended for uneven ground, but saves the number of trips. Mine has caterpillar tracks so it is very useful over soft wood chips.
Hello, are you asking how the trail is going since I placed it? If so, I'd say it is still there and serving its purpose for the most part. It has suppressed the weeds quite a bit, but not totally. I've added more shortcuts along the path, and have spread a lot more chips since that video was made. I just re-watched the video for the first time since I posted it, and I saw that I made the comment that I'd do an update in the spring. I forgot to do that, but I can do another update at some point soon maybe. Are you interested in making your own wood chip trail?
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment yes, I was thinking that maybe A nonwoven filter fabric might help separate the wood chips and mud. They often use it to separate rocks when building a driveway. They have a 3-ft wide roll on homedepot.com My cousin has a tree service so that part is easy.
I haven’t noticed an issue with wood chips getting into mud here, but it stays pretty dry here. I bet that roll of material you put down will help with weeds.
😮 I'll be doing this! I used to think I was going overboard by having my own trail, but now I'm inspired. My family is going to hate me soon because they'll be put to work here 😊
Nice work! Beautiful. Have you considered using a skid steer in the future to help spread the chips more quickly and efficiently? Just a thought. Again, beautiful.
Thank you! I'd love to get a skid steer for projects like this, but I haven't got one yet.
When I was a little girl I would go into the woods with a rake and I would rake pathways and create big round circles and put logs down to sit on and I would lime and the pathways with the logs and stones. It was my escape my secret place I love to fix it up and I made my own wood chips from fallen trees and the bark coming off of them. It was so much fun I did it for hours
That sounds like a fun place to grow up. Thanks for sharing!
Ok... now I'm jealous! I am going to have to make a trail too!🤣😂🤣
That was a lot of work, but it was a good winter project that kept me active outdoors. I've been expanding the trail with extra paths here and there, which makes walking the property a little more fun to explore.
looks like you ahve a nice dry environment so the chips will last 2 to 4 years . have you done a 2nd layer yet? putting down cardboard will help supress the weeds.
The wood chips are holding up pretty well, but the grass has started popping up amongst the chips. I haven't added anymore chips.
great job! I had a bobcat and it looks months.i cringed every time a new truckload would show up.sometimes 4 trucks a day!
Thanks! it was a lot of work with just a wheelbarrow, but the trail has held up ok so far. A bobcat would’ve been nice!
My family has adjoining properties and we had a winding trail cut to connect each lot so that we could walk to each property without going out to the road. We have had 12 trucks of wood chips brought in and have just started getting estimates to spread it. The estimates received so far are just mind-blowing. Your video has encouraged me to just dig in and do it ourselves over time. It should be good exercise for us. Did you blow your leaves before spreading the wood chips? We were considering doing that first but it would be a lot of extra work. Thanks so much!
Hello, I did not blow any leaves first, but we just had thin little mesquite leaves and long with native grasses and such. The leaf layer might actually help to suppress any weeds or grasses from popping up through the mulch, so I'd suggest "leaving" them, haha. I want to say one big truckload was probably enough to do a 3ft wide quarter-mile trail for me, so 12 truck loads should get you pretty far depending on how wide and thick your trail will be. Renting a bobcat with a front end loader would probably make it go much quicker. Good luck!
Renting a front loader is a great idea! We don't have any experience in it but can learn. Thank you. 😊
Wow! That’s a lot of work. I don’t know if I feel more sorry for your feet and knees, or your arms and shoulders. It looks really great especially as the surrounding vegetation looks very prickly. A great idea.
Thank you! It was physically demanding, but it did seem to get easier with each new day. I'd start about 9am and go until about 3pm. I kind of enjoyed the exercise, but I'm glad it is done.
Love this video. The trail is awesome. All good things take hard work I think. I have 1 acre and have a vegetable garden close to the house and open field away from the house. It’s basically a rectangle with trees on the sides and berry bushes are the far end. I want to make a walking path with arbor mulch but put cardboard down first. I have one short path between two raised beds where that really worked to keep the weeds from popping up. But the work it will take to peel off the tape from the cardboard and cut it seems like a ton of work. If I could get away from doing that step it would be great. What do you think? The stuff I get isn’t jut wood chips, it’s kind of shredded from landscapers cuttings. Not sure how long it would last.Thanks for a great video.
Sorry, I just found this comment in my 'Held for review' comments section; No idea why. Glad you like the video! Personally, I don't think it is too big of a deal to leave the tape on the cardboard, especially if it's just going to be where you walk. I would think the tape would get brittle after a while and just kind of fall to pieces over time. You might check out my 'Wood Chip Fever' video. Towards the end I talk about ways to make wood chips last a bit longer'. That might help you with your pathway some. Thank you
I use cardboard with tape and labels. After about 6 months to a year as the cardboard breaks down. The tape will stick up and a little pull and it comes away clean 👍👍👍. No muss no fuss.
Omg that was a lot of work
It sure was
how did you create the trail in the first place?
This is exactly what i want to do on my property
I carved out the trail initially through the mesquite, cactus, and brush using basic garden tools: loppers, handsaw, machete, shovel. I made the path wind around plants vs removing them entirely as much as I could. I'd toss cut branches and such off to the side out-of-site. Each year requires a bit of maintenance to take care of low hanging branches, encroaching cactus, etc. I walked that dirt path for a few years until I started to receive the free arborist wood chips. So far, the chips have cut down on the amount of weeds in the pathway, but some weeds still poke through. Laying down the wood chips was a lot more work than cutting the path initially. Using a cheap measuring wheel, I found the path was about 1/4 a mile. I divided that up into 4ths and placed stakes, so that I could start at any point on the trail to do laps and I'd know how far I'd gone (4 times around would be a mile). I find it much more fun to walk my own little forested path instead of just walking up and down the road.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment awesome. we just bought 5 acres and want to be able to use it for walks. it would also be nice to be able to access the entire property and keep an eye on everything.
we are up in the blue ridge so its mostly brush and trees to go around.
Thanks again 👍
What kind of wood chipper that produces mulch do you recommend?
Hello, I’m guessing any chipper would work. The more expensive ones allow you to chip thicker pieces of wood. I just get my wood chips for free from local tree service company’s who would normally have to pay to unload the chips at the dump ground.
Awesome trail! Very impressive!
Thanks, it was a lot of work, but it is so much nicer to walk on.
That’s awesome! I have been trying off and on for months to find ideas online for DIY wood chip walking paths and I can’t seem to find much on it. I had started one at my house similar to yours only in the woods and I boarded the trail with logs. But I have off camber slopes to deal with so I’ve kinda hit a rut trying to rack my brain on how to build a level mulch path along a hillside and not spending a bunch of money doing it. I’d rather use what I have on the property. I’m hoping once I get going again I can make a video like yours to potentially help others out there with the same interest and who couldn’t find anything on the subject like myself. But awesome video and awesome walking path!
Thank you, glad you got something out of it! I’d be interested to see your video when you get yours complete. I’ve been thinking about doing a follow up video, kind of like a 6-month review to see how it’s held up so far.
Yes definitely. A follow up video would be very interesting to see how well it has held up.
The trail I started is about 30’ long and has been there for about a year. It doesn’t get much traffic but it has settled a lot and already needs to be refreshed. I’m not sure what the best type
of wood to use is as far as lasting the longest on the ground but I’ve just been chipping random limbs and brush from my property with a DR chipper.
I love your wood chip trail. I wish I had access to wood chips, I would so do something like this.
Thank you! If you have local tree companies, they might be willing to bring you chips for free. Another resource I haven’t tried is getchipdrop.com.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment I just got a load of woodchips from chipdrop. It took a while, 3 or 4 months, but I'm happy to have them now.
Sweet, good luck!
Great videos. Are you almost in the market for a tractor with a bucket on the front and an excavator on the back?!?
When I first started messing with the wood chips, I did look into getting a tractor with a front end loader and back hoe. Now that I look back, all of that work was a good bit of exercise for me. Perhaps when I get older I'll get me a machine to do the bulk of the work, but for now, I am the machine!
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment Haha. That’s a good attitude. I hear you about the exercise!!
Here in NJ my garden has wood chip paths over an acre. The depth of the path will halve each year. By three or four years you will have created a wonderful compost path that will attract every weed and tree seed. For me this works as the composted chips are turned into the garden bed next to it. I move about 30-40 tons a year. I finally gave in and bought a motorized barrow that can shift 600lbs and I don't have to push the barrow or cart. My guess is in about four years you will regret having done this.
I hadn't seen a motorized barrow, but that sounds pretty awesome. Thank you for sharing your experience with the chips. I'm guessing my environment is a bit drier than yours, and the chips may not break down quite as quickly. I'm not too concerned about the unwanted weeds too much since the whole property is basically full of them. I didn't lay down the chips very thick, and I'm finding a lot of weeds came up through them. I'm thinking I'll need to refresh the path with new chips annually just to try to smother out the weeds. I've enjoyed having the path so far.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment West Texas: Yup a lot less rain than NJ. I spread the chips about 6" deep and that keeps down most weeds. I do this every other year to try to keep the 6". But it is a mulch so it keeps the moisture in too. Yardmax will ship a Brigs and Stratton motorized barrow for about $2K with four wheels or, as I have, with caterpillar tracks. Makes the job much easier.
Actually the weed pressure gets less. I have done this and you won’t regret it. Just cover deep and thick. The weeds that do come through pull out like butter. And I’m ordering a motor wheelbarrow also. 👍
@@blueskye991178 I used the packing crate the barrow came in to build sides I bolted on so I can load 500+ pounds of chips each time. Not recommended for uneven ground, but saves the number of trips. Mine has caterpillar tracks so it is very useful over soft wood chips.
Dude, that's cool. I like it! 👍
Thanks, glad you liked it! It has been really nice to have the chips to walk on this past year.
How did this go?
Hello, are you asking how the trail is going since I placed it? If so, I'd say it is still there and serving its purpose for the most part. It has suppressed the weeds quite a bit, but not totally. I've added more shortcuts along the path, and have spread a lot more chips since that video was made. I just re-watched the video for the first time since I posted it, and I saw that I made the comment that I'd do an update in the spring. I forgot to do that, but I can do another update at some point soon maybe. Are you interested in making your own wood chip trail?
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment yes, I was thinking that maybe A nonwoven filter fabric might help separate the wood chips and mud. They often use it to separate rocks when building a driveway. They have a 3-ft wide roll on homedepot.com
My cousin has a tree service so that part is easy.
I haven’t noticed an issue with wood chips getting into mud here, but it stays pretty dry here. I bet that roll of material you put down will help with weeds.
feed fungus
With all the wood chips I've spread out, I'm definitely feeding some fungus. I remember a show from the 90s called 'Parker Lewis Can't Lose'.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment i dont 😂