Accessible Trails in National Parks

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Accessible Trails in National Parks

There are more than 17,000 miles of trails in the National Park System – some are rigorous and difficult terrain and others are in effect, pleasant strolling paths. What trail you choose to hike depends in part on the overall health, ability and experience of the hiker. This is true for visitors with disabilities as well, though the type and severity of a disability also becomes a factor. The National Park Service wants all of our visitors to enjoy the trail of their choice and experience the wonders of the parks. The following is a list of trails that have been made more accessible to our visitors with disabilities.

Alaska

Denali National Park and Preserve
All of Denali’s ADA trails have a compacted gravel surface, 3 to 10 feet wide. No matter how close to the road visitors are, they may encounter wildlife on any trail, from songbirds and ground squirrels to bear and moose. Be alert and leave no trace.

The Denali Bike Trail serves as the main pedestrian artery connecting the park entrance with the Denali Visitor Center. It parallels the Park Road for 1.6 miles, providing access to the Riley Creek Campground and Mercantile, the Wilderness Access Center, the Bus & Train Depots, and the Visitor Center Campus. 5% maximum grade, 10 feet wide.

The Jonesville Trail is a 0.4-mile, forested shortcut between the Riley Creek Mercantile and the paved Canyon bike trail west of the Parks Highway. 8% maximum grade, 3 feet wide.

A 1.5-mile, scenic hike through diverse taiga forest, the McKinley Station Trail connects the Riley Creek Campground with the visitor center. The trail affords great views of cultural sites, Hines Creek, the railroad trestle, and the Alaska Range. 8-10% maximum grade, 6 feet wide.

Originating from behind the Denali Visitor Center, the 0.2-mile Spruce Forest Trail is a great option for a short, flat jaunt through taiga forest.

Visitors can follow the McKinley Station Trail 0.2 mile from the visitor center to reach the 0.2-mile Morino Loop Trail, which includes interpretive historical sites. 2-3% maximum grade, 6 feet wide.

The Taiga Trail from the visitor center to the Healy Overlook Junction is 0.5 mile long and passes through mixed taiga forest with views of the surrounding mountains. 8% maximum grade, 3 feet wide.

Further out on the Park Road, visitors can make a stop near the Savage River. The Savage Cabin Trail is 0.3 mile long and 8 feet wide and has interpretive signs terminating at the historic Savage log cabin. Visitors can also park at mile 13 on the west side of the bridge over the Savage River and take the Savage River Trail downstream for 0.4 mile, adding on the Savage Bar Trail for an extra 0.25-mile loop. These 3 to 4-foot wide trails afford beautiful views and possible wildlife sightings.

Katmai National Park and Preserve
The trails to the Brooks Falls and Riffles bear viewing platforms are accessible; however, there is a strong possibility visitors will need to leave the trail and enter the woods to allow bears to pass, especially during high bear densities.

For those with limited mobility, the narrow dirt paths in Brooks Camp are rough. They can become very muddy and slippery during the frequent rainy days.

Most of the public buildings in Brooks Camp, including the restroom facilities, are accessible via ramps. Visitors should contact one of the local air taxi companies about their transportation and that of any specialized equipment they may need. Wheelchairs and personal services are not available for assisting visitors around the Brooks Camp area.

Kenai Fjords National Park
Exit Glacier: A wheelchair accessible trail begins on the paved trail from the parking area and leads to an interpretive kiosk. From the kiosk, a new, accessible spur trail of compacted gravel travels for 1000 feet through the forest to a view of Exit Glacier. There are plans to turn this one-way trail into an accessible loop trail in summer 2007.

Sitka National Historical Park
The gravel-based, woodchip-covered trails in the park are accessible for many types of wheelchairs.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
The grounds have paved walkways, and a scenic section of the boreal forest nature trail is paved. The trail provides inspiring views of the Wrangell Mountains and the Copper River. During summer months, park rangers regularly present short interpretive programs along the paved section of this trail

Arizona

Grand Canyon National Park
The Rim Trail extends from the village area to Hermits Rest. Users can begin from any viewpoint in the village or along Hermit Road. Rim trails offer excellent walking and quiet views of the inner canyon for visitors who desire an easy hike. By using the shuttle buses, visitors can customize their hikes to meet their needs. Part of the trail is paved and accessible. For more information, please see: http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/upload/AccessibilityGuide06.pdf

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
One short nature trail behind the visitor center is self-guiding and accessible.

Saguaro National Park
At Saguaro, there are two districts on opposite sides of the Tucson metro area. Both districts have a visitor center with a short trail through a cactus garden outside the center. Both trails are accessible. Each district has one accessible, self-guiding nature trail (a trail with a hardened surface) about .25 mile in length. The Desert Ecology Trail is in the east district, and the Desert Discovery Trail is in the west district.

California

Yosemite National Park
For detailed information as of May 2006 about the accessibility of trails in Yosemite, please consult the park’s Accessibility Guide at http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/access.pdf.

Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park
For a list of the park’s accessible trails, please see http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/access.htm.

Florida

Everglades National Park
The website http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/trails.htm features links to listings of trails in the park’s four areas. The lists contain links to websites about each trail. These sites describe a trail and indicate whether it is wheelchair accessible. The brochure http://www.nps.gov/bicy/parknews/upload/tripplanner0607lowresfinal.pdf also offers information about accessible trails.

Hawaii

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Accessible pathways include Waldron Ledge (Earthquake Trail), Devastation Trail, Pauahi Crater, Muliwai a Pele, and Kealakomo Overlook.

Indiana

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Calumet Dune Trail – Accessible, paved 8/10 mile. Follows the Calumet Dune Ridge behind the Calumet Dune Interpretive Center.

Iowa

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
An asphalt walkway leads to the prairie trailhead. The incline is steep, and assistance will be necessary for those in wheelchairs. Prairie trails are mowed grass.

Kansas

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
The Bottomland Nature Trail is wheelchair accessible. It is in a prairie restoration area with interpretive waysides, an information kiosk, benches, and a comfort station. It is on the southern edge of the preserve, not far from the historic ranch headquarters on K-177. The trail includes two loops. One is .75 mile, and the second is .5 mile. Visitors may see deer, wild turkey, insects, and many other animals common to the preserve. All areas, including the picnic area, are wheelchair accessible.

Maine

Acadia National Park
Sieur de Monts Spring Area
The Wild Gardens of Acadia are adjacent to the parking lot. Garden paths have a packed gravel surface. Assistance may be helpful.

The Hemlock Road begins to the right of the parking lot’s entrance. The hard-packed path meanders through woodlands at the base of Dorr Mountain and is 1.5 miles round- trip.

For the Adventurous and Hardy

Wonderland Trail
The Wonderland Trail’s parking area is located west of Seawall Campground on Route 102A. Following an abandoned road, the trail has both level and hilly sections. Toward the end, the trail leaves the woods and opens onto the shoreline at the tip of the Wonderland Peninsula. Assistance may be necessary in several places, but the view is worth the effort. The trail is 1.4 miles round-trip.

Ship Harbor Trail
The Ship Harbor Trail’s parking lot is located west of Seawall Campground on Route 102A. The first quarter of a mile is a hard-packed surface leading to the mudflats. Access to intertidal pools is over rocky, uneven terrain. Users may require assistance on steep grades. The trail is 1.3 miles round-trip.

Man o' War Brook Fire Road
Users can park in the small unmarked gravel parking area on the east side of Route 102, one-eighth of a mile north of the larger, paved Acadia Mountain parking area. The abandoned road runs through a mixed growth woodland. The road is about one mile long. Users should beware of uphill and downhill grades, washouts, and exposed culverts. The trail is 2 miles round-trip.

Carroll Homestead Self-Guided Trail
Visitors can explore the grounds of the Carroll Homestead on a hard-packed but root-covered and uneven path. Assistance may be necessary. A pamphlet for self-guided use of the trail is available. Accessible parking is available at the end of the road adjacent to the house. The trail is .5 mile round-trip.

Jordan Pond Trails
Parking can be found in the north lower lot of the Jordan Pond area. Some paths are accessible and offer beautiful views of the pond and connections to the carriage roads.

Carriage Roads
Carriage roads offer the best access to many interior areas. The two easiest roads, Eagle Lake and Bubble Pond, are listed below. Others tend to be steeper and slightly uneven with sections of loose sand, gravel, or rocky areas. Extended use of the carriage roads depends on your ability and endurance. When following the carriage roads, be aware of washouts, steep grades, bicycle traffic, and horses on some sections. Assistance may be helpful.

Eagle Lake
The Eagle Lake parking area on Route 233 has accessible restrooms and parking. To the north, the carriage roads lead towards Breakneck Pond, Half Moon Pond, and Witch Hole Pond (5.3 miles round trip). To the south, under the stone bridge, the carriage roads lead in two directions around Eagle Lake (6 miles round trip).

Bubble Pond
The parking area, located off the Park Loop Road, has accessible restrooms and parking. follow the level trail to the north end of Bubble Pond. From here you have access to the carriage roads, one of which borders the pond.

Service Animals

Service animals must be leashed at all times. They are allowed in all park facilities and on all park trails unless closed by order of the superintendent. However, there are some park trails that are very steep and require the use of iron rung ladders. These trails should be avoided:

Precipice

Beehive

Ladder Trail to Dorr Mountain

Cadillac Mountain - West Face (from Bubble Pond)

Beech Cliff (from Echo Lake)

Perpendicular Trail (Mansell Mountain)

Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
The Duneside Accessible Nature Trail is located at the Dune Climb. The trail (0.9 mile round-trip) begins at the north end of the picnic area and parking lot. It is level and made of packed graded crushed limestone, so it is easy to walk or to push a wheelchair on it.   Several interpretive signs and benches occur along the trail. Please go to http://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/trailduneside.htm for a trail map and more description of the trail.

Missouri

Ozark National Scenic Riverways
There is an accessible trail to Big Spring within Ozark National Scenic Riverways. An average of 280 million gallons of water flows through this spring each day. It is the largest natural spring in the National Park System; the fourth largest spring in the United States; and the ninth largest in the world. An accessible trail of approximately 0.25 mile was constructed in 2007. There are accessible benches for visitors who wish to pause and enjoy the spring's roar and the natural beauty of the cliffs, trees, and crystal clear water.

Montana

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
At Devil Canyon Overlook, a short wheelchair accessible trail was laid to allow better access to the beautiful views Devil Canyon has to offer.

Nebraska

Homestead National Monument of America
The Homestead Heritage Center has a .5-mile trail that is accessible. The Homestead Education Center has a paved trail to a homesteader cabin and a farm implement room.

New Mexico

Fort Union National Monument
An interpretive trail (1.5 miles) through historic ruins is paved with crusher fines (compacted material that holds up to wheelchair traffic).

White Sands National Monument
Visitors in wheelchairs can access the elevated, interdune boardwalk. A round-trip on this trail is 650 yards (585 km). This trail, located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from the visitor center, leads through a fragile interdune area to a scenic view at the top of a dune. All plant life in the dune field starts in interdune areas, and the boardwalk is the best place to get a close look at many of the wildflowers that grow in the park while protecting its resources. There are informational signs and benches at various points along the trail. The boardwalk, which opened to public use in April 2005, is constructed of aluminum, which supports a deck and handrails made of recycled plastic lumber. The structure is not tied to a fixed location and can be re- routed to accommodate dune movement.

New York

NPS Manhatten Sites (St. Paul’s Church, Castle Clinton)
The following trails and walkways are paved:

Driveway at Saint Paul’s Church

The interior courtyard of Castle Clinton

Pennsylvania

Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Both the North and South Abutment Trails of the South Fork Dam are wheelchair accessible.

South Dakota

Mount Rushmore National Memorial
The main walkway from the parking area through the main visitor areas leading to and including the Lincoln Borglum Museum & amphitheater is fully accessible. Accessible from this main visitor area is a 0.25 mile section of trail that provides interpretive panels and unique views of the sculpture at the base of the mountain. This section of trail along the Presidential Trail loop is perfect for those with mobility concerns. It has a paved surface in some areas and a boardwalk in others. There are no stairs on this western section of the trail leading to the base of the mountain carving. Additional sections of the trail are currently not accessible due to elevation changes and numerous stairs.

Tennessee/North Carolina

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Most trails in the park are steep and rugged. However, an accessible trail made possible through a public-private partnership is located on Newfound Gap Road, just south of Sugarlands Visitor Center. Accessible interpretive exhibits along the .5-mile, paved trail describe unique historic and natural features as the trail winds through second growth forest along the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. Clay tactile exhibits, a large print brochure, and porcelain enamel wayside exhibits are available on site. An audiotape tour is available from Sugarlands Visitor Center. Users should look for the tracks of a black bear that wandered across the freshly poured concrete when the trail was built.

The website http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm contains information about the accessibility of some other trails and paths in the park.

Texas

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
The nature trail into the Johnson Settlement is accessible to those using wheelchairs or scooters, but it is composed of granite gravel and would be slow-going for people using chairs if they were unaided by others.

Utah

Arches National Park
Approximately 0.2 mile of the 0.3-mile Balanced Rock Trail are paved.

Virginia

Shenandoah National Park
The Limberlost Trail is an accessible trail, a gently sloping, 1.3-mile loop with a 5 foot-wide greenstone surface. The trail circles through forest and mountain laurel and includes a 65-foot bridge and a 150-foot boardwalk.

Washington

Olympic National Park
A good source of information about the accessibility of the park’s trails may be found at http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm.

Wisconsin

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
The Indianhead Flowage trail, one mile north of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin at Lions Park, is wheelchair accessible with a campsite on the river at the furthest point.

Wyoming

Devils Tower National Monument
The 1.3-mile Tower Trail circles the base of the Tower and is paved. The trail has steep grades and is not recommended for users of wheelchairs. The steepest part of the trail can be seen from the visitor center parking lot. Please use your own judgment on this trail. Other trails in the monument are not accessible.

Grand Teton National Park
Hiking trails in the park offer varying degrees of difficulty. Some trails, like those at Jenny Lake, String Lake, and Colter Bay, are easily accessible. Wide, paved trails with gentle slopes lead to the shore of Jenny Lake. A level, paved trail, dotted with rustic log benches, follows the String Lake shoreline. The Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail, along the eastern shore of Jackson Lake, is paved for a third of a mile beginning at the marina. An entirely accessible trail located at the south end of the Jackson Lake Dam offers tremendous views of Jackson Lake and the Teton Range.

Yellowstone National Park
LeHardy Rapids (between Canyon and Fishing Bridge)

The trail from the north parking lot is accessible and marked. No parking is designated.

Terrace Springs (just north of Madison Junction)

All features are accessible. A steep grade exists in the middle of the loop, which requires assistance. The area of Terrace Springs provides the visitor with a short boardwalk tour of hot springs.

Old Faithful Area (Upper Geyser Basin)

The geyser Old Faithful is accessible from the visitor center. An accessible bike/pedestrian path leads from the visitor center 1.5 miles to Morning Glory Pool in a 3- mile round-trip. This path is also accessible from the Lower Hamilton General Store near Old Faithful Inn. Castle Geyser and Crested Pool are only 0.2 mile from this point. This access also reduces the round-trip distance to Morning Glory Pool to 2.4 miles.

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National Park Service Mediaroom                                                           Updated: August 13, 2008