See Something, Say Something: How to Report a Trail Issue on Trailforks

You’re out on a Shenandoah Valley singletrack, and you hit it: a downed tree across the trail, a washed-out switchback, a bridge plank that’s gone soft. You ride around it, make a mental note to tell someone, and then… life happens. By the time you’re home, it’s forgotten.

That gap is exactly what Trailforks trail reports are built to close. If you ride our trails and have the Trailforks app, you already have the tool. Here’s how to actually use it.

Why Trail Reports Matter

Every trail report you submit goes straight to SVB Coalition’s trail crew. It shows up chronologically on that trail’s Reports tab, with a location pin, so our volunteers know exactly what they’re dealing with and where before they ever load up a chainsaw or a rake.

Reports aren’t just for problems, either. Submitting a “trail’s in great shape” report after a good ride is just as useful. It tells us conditions are clear, and it tells the next rider what to expect. Think of it as paying it forward to whoever rides behind you.

You can also attach a trail work report to log volunteer hours and work completed. That’s how we track the hours our crew puts in and keep records for grants and land manager relationships, so if you’re out there with a saw or loppers, log it.

Before You Head Out

A couple of settings make this whole process smoother:

On your phone, make sure location services are turned on for both the Trailforks app and your camera (Settings > Privacy > Location Services). This embeds GPS coordinates in your photos and reports, so your pin lands in the right spot on the map.

No signal out on the trail? No problem. You can still create a report offline, or even without being logged in. It’ll upload automatically the next time you’re back in range or logged in.

Reporting From the App (While You’re Still Out There)

1. On the map, tap the trail to highlight it. This auto-fills the trail name on the next screen.
2. Tap the yellow arrow at the top center of the screen, then select “Write Report” from the menu.
3. On the Write Report screen, confirm the trail name is correct (or select it manually from the nearby trails list if it isn’t). Then fill in: Status (the specific issue and how it affects the trail), Condition (the general ground conditions), and Description (type your own, or pick from the Quick Suggestions).
4. Got a chainsaw or loppers moment to log? Tap Work Report, toggle it on, and enter hours worked and number of volunteers. This is what lets us track total trail work hours across the coalition.
5. Tap the camera icon and attach a photo. Pro tip: get your bike in the frame. It gives our crew an instant sense of scale, so they know whether to bring a handsaw or a truck.
6. Submit. Your report (and photo) goes straight to our trail crew and anyone subscribed to reports for that trail or region. If you’d like, you can also share it to Facebook right after submitting.

Reporting From Your Computer

Prefer to snap a geotagged photo on the trail and file the report later from your laptop? Same process, different screen:

1. Download the photo from your phone to your computer.
2. Log in to Trailforks.com and find the trail or region.
3. Open the trail page and click the yellow Add/Edit button in the upper right corner. It’ll turn green and drop down a menu.
4. Select Add Trail Report.
5. Fill in the same fields as above (Status, Condition, Description, Work Report if applicable), upload your geotagged photo, and submit.

One Extra Option for Trail Bosses and Crew Leads

On the computer version, there’s a Private checkbox at the bottom of the report form. Private reports are only visible to members of groups with permission to view them, which is handy for tracking planned or in-progress work with a specific crew before it’s public-facing.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to be an SVB Coalition volunteer to help maintain our trails. You just need the app, a photo, and thirty seconds after your ride. Every report, good conditions or bad, helps our crew keep Shenandoah Valley trails rideable for everyone who comes after you.

Haven’t set up Trailforks yet? Download the app and find our trails at trailforks.com.