Trails | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

Trails | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
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Trails
Western Australia has an amazing range of landscapes and remarkable flora and fauna just waiting to be explored.
Munda Biddi trail Mundaring
Trail development guidelines
Whether you are enjoying a leisurely stroll through the forest, riding a mountain bike through the bush, or taking on the challenge of a long-distance trail, WA’s extensive trail network provides a gateway to the great outdoors. With an increasing demand for trails comes the challenge to provide them in a sustainable way, without degrading environments and minimising maintenance into the future.
In recent years, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) have partnered with international trail specialists, key stakeholders, and the trail community to produce guidelines to assist land managers, trail professionals and trail groups in developing and managing trails sustainably – environmentally, socially and economically.
The intent of these guidelines is to ensure future trails are a recreational asset to the community, and not a liability. The guidelines are an important resource and tool for land managers, trail professionals and trail groups, providing guidance and a consistent development approach to trails across Western Australia.
The guidelines and templates below are supplied to assist the planning process for any new trail development design.
Trails development series
Document
Part A: A Guide to the Trail Development Process
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1.17 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Document
Part B: A Guide to Community Consultation
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1.2 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Document
Part C: A Guide to using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis
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984.99 KB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Document
Part D: Checklists and Templates
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621.39 KB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Trails development templates (Word documents)
Document
Trail Development Framework
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32.23 KB
(DOCX)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Document
Impact Evaluation Checklist
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86.48 KB
(DOCX)
Last updated 21-08-2025
Document
Detailed Design
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306 KB
(DOCX)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Western Australian hiking trail management guidelines
Document
WA Hiking Trail Management Guidelines
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48.13 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 13-11-2024
Western Australian horse trail management guidelines
Document
Western Australian Horse Trail Management Guidelines
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54.36 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 15-05-2025
Western Australian mountain bike management guidelines
Document
Western Australian Mountain Bike Management Guidelines
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17.8 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Trails strategic documents
Document
WA Strategic Trails blueprint-2022-2027
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5.74 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Document
WA Hiking Strategy: Bushwalking and trail running in Western Australia 2020-2030
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5.18 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Document
WA Mountain Bike Strategy - Mountain biking and off-road cycling in Western Australia 2022-2032
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6.49 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 28-03-2023
Document
WA Horse Trail Strategy
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1.32 MB
(PDF)
Last updated 22-04-2024
Trail projects
For information and updates on new trail projects throughout the state, go to
trailswaprojects.com.au
If you have questions, would like to discuss these documents, or require a high-resolution version of the Western Australian Mountain Bike Management Guidelines, please contact
recreationandtrails@dbca.wa.gov.au
.
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