A
dirt road or
track is a type of
unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as
subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for
vehicles; a
narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a
dirt track—the distinction is not well-defined. Unpaved roads with a harder surface made by the addition of material such as
gravel and
aggregate (stones), might be referred to as dirt roads in common usage but are distinguished as improved roads by highway engineers. (Improved unpaved roads include
gravel roads,
laterite roads, murram roads and
macadamized roads.)