Testimonials
Momentum is our Friend
We are always gratified to get feedback after we’ve completed a project. We review these insights not only to continue to improve on our work, practice, and communication but to also give us the momentum to stay inspired in our work.
As you consider Southwest Trail Solutions for your potential, planned or upcoming or trail needs, the following comments typify what we frequently hear after project completion:
“Mark Flint is an excellent trail builder; he is highly experienced and offers innovative solutions. Mark added several new trails in my community, Viewpointe II Townhomes, and did a wonderful job. He has provided my neighbors and me a delightful new way to get recreation, and has boosted our property values.”
Larry Bodine
Viewpointe Resident
“I highly recommend Southwest Trail Solutions and especially Mark Flint. I live in Viewpointe II Townhomes and we have been very fortunate to benefit from Mark’s expertise in creating aesthetically pleasing, environmentally sensitive nature trails in our surrounding desert with multiple access points throughout our community. His work is minimally invasive to our fragile desert but has provided an incredible opportunity for residents to walk in.”
Fran Brazelle
Viewpointe Resident
“We sub-contracted Southwest Trail Solutions to design 25 miles of trails for the Bureau of Land Management in Caliente, Nevada. The design team made quick work of the project, finishing in much less time than I anticipated and under budget. They used the landscape in an efficient and inspiring way and created a plan that matched the needs of the land manager. One of the most important outcomes of this project is the way STS balanced the needs of a sustainable and fun alignment with estimated budget amounts. Every trail construction project has a budget, especially those with this much mileage, and the trail design STS provided assures that the trail will be built efficiently and within a very reasonable project cost.
“We later hired Southwest Trail Solutions to provide technical expertise for a technical, directional mountain bike trail. Evan, the Technical Trail Specialist, assisted us and land managers to design a trail that is unique to the area, utilizes natural rock features and gave us specific construction specifications for the project. Evan returned to the project three more times to provide support and guidance to our conservation corps crews who were building the trail. Evan is a great teacher and provided the exact insight we needed to succeed with the project.”
Mark Loseth
National Trails Coordinator
American Conservation Experience
“Mark Flint is an extremely skilled trail designer who is very knowledgeable about all aspects of the trail building process. We are so happy that we chose him to work with us on our Bearfoot Trail project!”
Mike Brandt
Project Manager
Pine Strawberry Fuel Reduction, Inc.
“Mark has laid out some trails that are among my favorites anywhere. And he builds sustainable trails that will basically be there for generations to come. Functional art. His body of work is impressive.”
Tom Purvis
Salida Mountain Trails
“I worked closely with Mark Flint building 40 miles of the Arizona Trail. I have always been impressed with his dedication to the many tasks that are required to not only build the trail, but also select the correct trail alignment before the first pick is swung. He has the knack or sixth sense for trail building that allows him to look at a descending ridge, a rugged wash, a long straight stretch and make it into a work of art when it is completed with virtually no major maintenance needs.
What makes all this even more outstanding is that Mark has both the patience and perseverance when it comes to selecting and training volunteer crew leaders. The backbone of our trail building effort is the volunteers who take pride in their accomplishments. If it were not for Mark, this would not have happened.”
Bernie Stalmann
AZT Southern Regional Steward
“I have worked with Mark Flint in his capacity as volunteer coordinator and Steering Committee Co-Chair on the Cienega Corridor/Las Colinas Construction projects for the Arizona Trail. I have also worked with Mark in the design of the trails for the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo Race Course.
Mark has an extraordinary knack for mobilizing and energizing large groups of volunteers in the name of trail building. The high percentage of volunteers who come back is a testimonial to his organizational and positive leadership abilities.
His ability to manage the trail building process, from recruiting and coordinating volunteer work events to laying out a highly-functional trail system that provides a quality experience for all trail users, is second to none. His insistence on “sustainability first” results in trails that maintain their character and integrity long into the future.
Mark displays an uncanny ability to design trails with a flow that all trail users enjoy. Aside from all the ‘happenings’ that take place at a mountain bike event, at the end of the day, participants pay to ride a great course. The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo course, home to America’s largest 24 Hour mountain bike event and designed by Mark Flint, keeps people coming back year after year because they love the smooth-flowing, well-designed trails. The system’s high degree of sustainability means minimal maintenance is required – in most cases, just a little pruning.”
Todd Sadow
President
Epic Rides Inc.