How to Build a Rock Wall That Slopes and Turns

Hammer wooden stakes into the ground along the turning path that you want the rock wall to take. Dig a trench that follows the path of the wooden stakes, making it as wide as you would like the rock wall to be and approximately 12 inches in depth. As you move up or down the slope, though, don’t leave the trench sloped; instead, make step-like ledges every 6 inches to create a flat base all along the sloped trench.

Pour small-sized gravel into the trench to fill the bottom half. Smooth the gravel down until it appears even and check each ledge that you created in the trench with a level to ensure that the gravel creates a level base. If the level shows that the ledge is uneven, shift the gravel to even the base out.

Place the first row of rocks in the ground along the bottom of the trench. Place rocks as closely together as possible and maneuver them to fill in any empty space. Once the rock row is in place, pour coarse sand around the rocks to fill in any remaining spaces.

Lay the next row of rocks with the same method. Put the rocks in first, choosing the best rocks to fill as much space as possible, then pour sand around the rocks. Use this technique until you reach the top of the trench to create a solid footing.

Continue building the rock walls along the turning trench you built. As you build the wall upward, try to keep the sides of the walls as even as possible and build the wall upward in layers so that it angles upward as it moves up the slope. Build a loose rock wall no higher than 2 feet.