HELP me get to the lake

[Keith Gray]

I just moved into a lake house. My wife and I have wanted this for many years. I have a covered boat dock down about a 200' hill. The view is outstanding (because our house is on a hill). The trek to the lake is not so good. My wife has bad knees, my parents are getting older, etc. I have had a couple of folks look at the hill to see if I got a small rtv or something I might could drive down to water. But they are saying gravel would wash away and you can't get concrete or asphalt machinery in the back yard because of side limitations of the house/yard. I even looked at some of the tram systems on line. Someone told me there were tiles or some type of track that could be laid down, one person told me they make them for motorcycle riders, etc. The estimates I have gotten range from 40k-60k which is not doable for me. Anybody of a good story or idea ??!!

 

[BigAbe75]

I just moved into a lake house. My wife and I have wanted this for many years. I have a covered boat dock down about a 200' hill. The view is outstanding (because our house is on a hill). The trek to the lake is not so good. My wife has bad knees, my parents are getting older, etc. I have had a couple of folks look at the hill to see if I got a small rtv or something I might could drive down to water. But they are saying gravel would wash away and you can't get concrete or asphalt machinery in the back yard because of side limitations of the house/yard. I even looked at some of the tram systems on line. Someone told me there were tiles or some type of track that could be laid down, one person told me they make them for motorcycle riders, etc. The estimates I have gotten range from 40k-60k which is not doable for me. Anybody of a good story or idea ??!!

My in-laws have a tram that was custom built by the previous owner. Looks like a “mine train” roller coaster, but works well. I’ll see if the wife or I have a pic of it. Their neighbors have a narrow gravel drive that they run their side by side up. They add a little rock every couple of years, but I don’t think it’s too much.

 

[2kwik4u]

This looks expensive, but kinda what you need

https://hillhiker.com/

Wish I would have taken a picture of it, but on the cumberland river during our recent trip to Nashville, there was a pontoon boat on a tram about 100ft above the water. Looked like a typical boat lift arrangement under it, but the whole lift was on a set of rails and lifted the boat up to the deck at the top of the hill.....so, potentially, you could bring the boat to you instead of going to the boat....just a thought.

Maybe something like this?
https://www.hewittrad.com/roll-a-rail/

 

[JBRyan]

Could they not pump the concrete via a hose?

 

[Whisky]

What is the grade of the hill?

If a golf cart could make it up/down safely you could line the path (maybe even just two tire tread widths) with a product like this https://www.b8ventures.com/ecoraster-e40/#/

it should help to stabilize gravel or other back fill (maybe even just soil)

 

[Need A Vacation]

Could they not pump the concrete via a hose?

I was thinking the same, or one of the gas powered self propelled wheel barrow???

Keith,

Either a trolley system as mentioned, or what about a zip line type set up? Use a winch to raise and lower the riders down???

There is some mesh like plastic material that you can lay down in the grass so the top is flush with the ground, and grass grows inside it. Picture a plastic Plano shelf that is a “mesh”. You would lay that down flush with the ground, grass still grows, but the plastic prevents the ground from being tore up or eroding... I wish I knew where to suggest buying it. Then a sxs could be used.

 

[Need A Vacation]

What is the grade of the hill?

If a golf cart could make it up/down safely you could line the path (maybe even just two tire tread widths) with a product like this https://www.b8ventures.com/ecoraster-e40/#/

it should help to stabilize gravel or other back fill (maybe even just soil)

It was something like this that I had seen, and was trying to describe!!!

 

[Keith Gray]

All interesting ideas. The trams are crazy expensive. I have already found out that there are two types of people on the lake where I just bought... rich and NOT rich. guess which one I am. The ecoraster product certainly looks interesting. I will look into that and maybe a grader could go through my neighbor's yard with something small like a bobcat or something to prepare the soil and grade. Thanks for all the ideas and anybody else is welcome to chime in. The concrete guy told me to pump it in and get it to settle right and grade etc it would be at least 40k and the tram systems I talked to online were at least that!

 

[rrmidden]

The grade is important to know. My wife and I just bought a lake house too, a vacation home, not our permanent residence. The house sits about 30' higher than the lake, but it's a pretty steep hill. I'm building a staircase with a couple of intermediate landings to avoid too long or too steep of a stair flight. I would think you could build a series of retaining walls/switchbacks can cover the trail with gravel or mulch regardless of how steep it was, although the steeper it is the more switchbacks you'll need and the more expensive it would get. With some sort of curb you should be able to avoid most erosion, but worst case you have to replace some of your cover every few years.

 

[2kwik4u]

I mean, aside from the bad knees.....stairs are an option!

Took this on Old Hickory Lake last month.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Not knowing exactly what the incline is or if it is varied etc . people make electric chair lifts They vary in size and 200 feet is large in comparison to a stair way in a home . Perhaps partial wood walk way and the chair lift for the worst part of the incline.

 

[Gym]

Zipline or water slide??? How about pics so we get a lay of the land.

 

[swatski]

I just moved into a lake house. My wife and I have wanted this for many years. I have a covered boat dock down about a 200' hill. The view is outstanding (because our house is on a hill). The trek to the lake is not so good. My wife has bad knees, my parents are getting older, etc. I have had a couple of folks look at the hill to see if I got a small rtv or something I might could drive down to water. But they are saying gravel would wash away and you can't get concrete or asphalt machinery in the back yard because of side limitations of the house/yard. I even looked at some of the tram systems on line. Someone told me there were tiles or some type of track that could be laid down, one person told me they make them for motorcycle riders, etc. The estimates I have gotten range from 40k-60k which is not doable for me. Anybody of a good story or idea ??!!

Golf carts!

Unless it is steeper than 20% or so a golf cart will do!
Here a place we like on Bull Shoals Lake, a long approach and all gravel, gets even longer by another 50' at low water - no issue with golf carts


It is a bit hairy for launching, but doable
(a landcrusier is a beast for that)


--

 

[2kwik4u]

Boy, "a bit hairy" doesn't even begin to explain what I would expect gravel at that angle to be

 

[flyingnugget]

how about a Bungee? Sorry I couldn't help it...Beautiful house but Damn thats a steep hill/cliff...

 

[BigAbe75]

Couple pictures from the in-laws.

 

[Speedling]

There no other way down?
What are others on the lake doing?

 

[PEARCE]

I would think laying some gravel and a golf cart with nobby tires would do the trick. Replacing gravel or regrading it occasionally would just be part of the maintenance. There may be some way to put in some sort of erosion breaks to help slow the erosion process.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

If the incline is manageable you could look into making a walk way for traction of a vehicle using something like this block

or

or

Or if you just want to walk down etc maybe set something like this

Or use some of these type blocks and make a track or walk way.

 

[BlkGS]

I suspect this is a big problem on many reservoir/lakes. Our lake has a ton of lakefront homes with no way down to their docks other than a lot of stairs. A few houses have winding back and forth paths that are graded so it is t si steep. Ut it takes up their entire backyard.

Outside of that, maybe an elevator?