This post as about the project to create access to the far back yard of our property. I call it the “East Side Trail”.
One of the important aspects of this property is the big back yard. When we moved in, it was obvious that the previous owners had spent a lot of time and effort maintaining the front yard, around the house and by the pool. But the farther away from the house, the less they had been able to maintain. In particular, the Buckthorn was everywhere.
From the back of the house to the property line it drops about 75′. There are steep slopes and limited ways to get from the area by the house down to the far back yard. When we moved in, the only way to get to the far back yard was down a very steep hill on the west side. If it was wet, there was no way that a mower would make it up.
There was a more gradual slope on the east side of the property behind the basketball hoop in the picture above. The problem was it was completely overgrown with Buckthorn.
So, I decided that it made sense to remove the Buckthorn and make a trail so that I could more safely move from up by the house down to the sport court and shed.
The first step was to cut and dig out the Buckthorn. At this time all I had to work with was an ATV and handtools.
I was able to clear out the Buckthorn and grade out the slope. At this point, I could drive through the area which was much safer than the west side.
Over time, I continued to clean up the area including the addition of pavers along the retaining wall. When I mow, I can run right along the pavers and get a neat edge.
The trail remains a work in progress. I use it so much that it is tough to get grass to grow. I still need to work on the landscaping between the trail and the fence. That is a work in progress.
Update: Over the course of several summers the East Side Trail continues to change. With other landscaping projects I was able to harvest sod that I then placed on the trail. We now have sod almost all the way.
