Accessible Trails in Washington State

When I first started using a wheelchair over 10 years ago, I searched around for information on wheelchair hiking.  I found a great book, entitled Accessible Trails in Washington's Backcountry.  I was elated . . .  almost.  The book was published in 1995 and hadn't been updated since.  When I began hiking with the Freedom Chair last year, I once again pulled out this book.  My first excursion highlighted the changes in trails since the book was published and inspired me to a new goal: update the book to match present day reality and capture the information on a website, so as to easily allow for changes and additions. Well, I soon realized that this was a behemoth task, requiring time and attention to detail that I don't even pretend to possess.  So, as a paltry consolation prize, I've compiled a list of wheelchair-accessible hikes in Washington from my own experience and added some links to other resources.  I hope that this information will help other wheelchair hikers in the state, and that readers will share their own recommendations (perhaps even using this blog post as a forum?).

Keep in mind that the idea for this list actually came after many of the hikes, and that I have the memory of a middle-aged person with a chronic disease.  Therefore, it is more than possible that some of the details listed below are not exactly accurate!  Also, the type of wheelchair for which the trail is most appropriate is my own subjective opinion and is accumulative (i.e. anything appropriate for a power chair is also appropriate for a manual chair or all-terrain chair).  Finally, for more information about the hikes, click on the name of the trail to link to a website.  (Really finally -- the formatting function of this application is a mystery to me.  What looks good in the editor is all a jumble in the preview window.  I haven't the patience to figure it out and make it look pretty, so please pretend...)


Jenny's List of Wheelchair-Accessible Hikes in Washington

Trail: Discovery Park Wastewater Plant

Location: Seattle, WA

Distance: short

Surface: paved and hard-packed dirt (roots pushing up               pavement in a couple of spots)

Wheelchair: power chair

Views: Puget Sound, West Point Lighthouse, Mt Rainier,                 Olympic Mountains, beach with driftwood,                                     wildflowers

Trailhead: with DMV disabled placard, pick up pass from                Visitors’ Center, allowing you to  park near the entrance to                                                                     the trails                   

Trail: Discovery Park Loop Trail

Location: Seattle, WA

Distance: 2.8 miles round-trip

Surface: hard-packed dirt, sand dune

Wheelchair:  all-terrain chair

Views: Puget Sound, trees and grasses, birds

Trailhead: North end of parking lot near Visitor Center

Trail: Azalea Way at Washington Park Arboretum

Location: Seattle, WA

Distance: 1.4 miles out and back

Surface: hard-packed gravel

Wheelchair:   all-terrain chair 

View: trees and flowers  - azaleas and other rhododendrons when they bloom

Trailhead: central section of the Washington Park Arboretum

Trail: Sqebeqsed Trail at Seward Park

Location: Seattle, WA

Distance: about .5 miles (I don’t remember exactly) one-way downhill

Surface: hard-packed dirt

Wheelchair:   manual chair (power chair if conditions are good)

View: big trees in old-growth forest, ending at Lake Washington with views of Seattle

Trailhead: top of hill in center of park

Trail: Center for Urban Horticulture at UW – Union Bay Natural Area

Location: Seattle, WA

Distance: I don’t remember (less than 1 mile)

Surface: hard-packed dirt (sometimes muddy)

Wheelchair: manual chair (all-terrain chair when muddy)

View: Puget Sound, wetlands, over 200 species of birds

Trailhead: parking lot for Merrill Hall at UW Center for Urban Horticulture

Other: free tram tours first Thursday of each month

Trail: Center for Urban Horticulture at UW – Yesler Swamp

Location: Seattle, WA

Distance: 1500 feet

Surface: boardwalk

Wheelchair: manual or power chair

View: Puget Sound, swamp, water fowl

Trailhead: East side of Union Bay Natural Area at UW Center for Urban Horticulture

Trail: Weeks Falls Trail in Olallie State Park

Location: 6 miles East of North Bend, WA off of I-90 on South Fork of Snoqualmie River

Distance: .4 miles one-way

Surface: hard-packed dirt with roots

Wheelchair: all-terrain chair

View: big trees, waterfall, along a river, through a mostly old-growth forest

Trailhead: East end of parking lot at Olallie State Park

Trail: Interurban Trail

Location: Bellingham, WA

Distance: 6.7 miles

Surface: hard-packed dirt and crushed stone

Wheelchair: all-terrain chair

View: through woods, follows coastline, Puget Sound, and San Juan Islands (sporadic)

Trailheads: Donovan Ave. and 10th St. (Fairhaven) and Larrabee State Park at Fragrance Lake Rd. and Chuckanut Dr. (Bellingham)

Trail: Foothills Trail

Location: Pierce County, WA

Distance: 15.1 miles (part of 30 miles of 6 unconnected segments of the old Burlington Northern Railway)

Surface: paved

Wheelchair: power chair

View: along Carbon River, salmon spawning in season, Mt Rainier in distance

Trailhead: four trailheads along the route at East Puyallup, McMillin, Orting, and South Prairie,

Trail: Tradition Lake on Tiger Mountain

Location: Issaquah Alps,WA

Distance: 2.9 miles (not all ADA)

Surface: Hard-packed gravel, hard-packed dirt

Wheelchair: all-terrain chair

View: Woods, ferns, lake

Trailhead: High Point trailhead in Issaquah Alps

Trail: Lake to Lake Trail

Location: Bellevue, WA

Distance: 10 miles of several segments from Lake Washington to Lake Sammamish

Surface: hard-packed gravel, paved (some city sidewalks connect trails between parks)

Wheelchair: power chair

View: Nine city parks, suburban streets, blueberries, lakes, second-growth forest

Trailhead: Weowna Park near Lake Sammamish (we parked at (Lake Hills Farm Fresh Produce fruit stand at 15562 SE 16th St).

Trail: Rainy Lake Trail

 Location: North Cascades Highway near Rainy Pass, WA

Distance: 1 mile each way

Surface: paved

Wheelchair: power chair

View: trees, alpine lake

Trailhead: Milepost 158 on North Cascades Highway (Hwy 20); Need NW Forest Pass to park

Trail: Rainbow Falls

Location: Stehekin, WA (Lake Chelan)

Distance: short

Surface: paved

Wheelchair: power chair

View: Rainbow Falls, cinnamon rolls at Stehekin Pastry Company on road down

Trailhead: Take Lady of the Lake Ferry (http://ladyofthelake.com/) from Chelan to Stehekin across Lake Chelan, and then take the accessible shuttle bus (https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/stehekin-transportation.htm) from Stehekin to Rainbow Falls.  The trail goes from the parking lot to the falls.   Other: You can wheel back on the paved road back down to Stehekin, stopping to sample the giant cinnamon rolls at the Stehekin Pastry                                                        Company (http://stehekinpastry.com), and catching the shuttle bus for the                                            rest of the route.  FYI: the lodge at Stehekin has a wheelchair-accessible                                            cabin   (http://www.stehekin.com/stehekin-shuttle220.html)                      

Links to other lists and ideas about wheelchair-accessible hikes in WA (no personal recommendations here; try at your own risk!):

Wheelchair-accessible trails from Outdoors for All (compiled by two of their participants)

http://www.accessiblenature.info/?page_id=165

http://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/where-to-hit-the-trail-in-a-wheelchair/

https://www.traillink.com/stateactivity/wa-wheelchair-accessible-trails/

http://www.wta.org/go-outside/basics/ada-accessible-hikes

http://www.accessibletrails.com/  (last updated 2014)

https://www.alltrails.com    (must register)

Please share your own recommendations!!!                            

Accessible trails

2017 is a year of notable anniversaries.  50 years of life.  20 years of marriage.  15 years of Seattle. 10 years of using a wheelchair.  1 year of hiking with the Freedom Chair.

Hiking with the Freedom Chair

Looking back on my year of Freedom Chair hiking, I feel like many of my previous posts have something in common: they document adventures along hiking trails I'd hoped to be fitting for wheelchairs ... only to have some obstacle impede my passage to the point of needing serious assistance or even forcing me to turn back.

Too narrow to go further

Too rocky to go further

You get the picture!

My Ideal Wheelchair Trail

Perhaps an ideal wheelchair trail

Really, the main criterion for a wheelchair-accessible trail is one that is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

Secondary criteria include:

• a fairly flat trail without a lot of ups and downs, or at least limited altitude gain with minimal steepness (difficult to find in a mountainous area!)
• a trail that is neither too long nor too short (the exact distance depends upon the hiker)
• a trail surface that falls somewhere between paved (usually boring!) and full of big rocks
• an even trail that does not slant to the side (On slanting trails, straight forward motion requires one-armed propulsion, which is extremely tiring, and I prefer not to fall off of the trail -- especially because that usually involves a steep hill).

Ideas for Trails

• Of course, the ideal would be a trail designated as "wheelchair accessible,"  but those are few and far between.  In addition, they are usually short, paved circuits around a nature center or en route from a parking lot to a viewpoint, so their length and variety is limited.  

• Also rare, but usually in beautiful locations, are boardwalks through forests and/or swamps (and, to a lesser extent, near beaches).

  

  Asilomar Beach (CA)

• Roads (paved and unpaved) can be a good option, through the trick is to find one that is not a war zone of potholes and is closed to cars (even one is enough to kill you).  Gated roads, fire roads, and sometimes logging roads will work.  

Hamma Hamma Campground (WA)

• Another idea is mountain bike trails (although be sure to look for double-track trails for a wider trail).  

• Many ski hills open their slopes to mountain bikes in the summer months, so the gentler slopes (catwalks) offer good possibilities for wheelchairs (thanks, Nerissa, for this idea).

• For some reason, wildlife refuges seem to have good terrain for wheelchair  -- boardwalk and/or level trails.

Tualatin Wildlife Refuge (OR)

• In recent years, many organizations, including Rails-to-Trails, have built multi-use trails, providing good hiking options for walkers, cyclists, families, and wheelchairs.

Othello Tunnels Trail (BC)

Sources of Ideas

• The best source of ideas is other wheelchair users and their recommendations about where to hike or not to hike.  If I had more energy, I would start a website with a data base where hikers could search for accessible trails.  Instead, I'll offer my meager contribution in the next post, along with a list of accessible trails I received from an Outdoors for All staff member. I hope others will add their ideas somewhere as well.  

• Luckily, Google exists.  (As always, use caution, since some links are old or inaccurate).

• Another great idea is Traillink, the web-based database for Rails-to-Trails, where one can search for trails nationwide -- filtering for many conditions, including wheelchair accessibility! 

• Other trail databases can also be helpful, although they may not include a filter for wheelchair accessibility (I used to search for "kid friendly" trails on Washington Trail Association's "Hike Finder Map," but it turned out that those trails were only friendly to some kick-ass kids, who were far more agile than I was.

• Other websites showing accessible trails (these are neither endorsed nor even reviewed by me), which I found on the web (see my previous qualifier about Google!):
• http://www.accessibletrails.com/   (last updated in 2014)
• https://www.alltrails.com/ 

Looking toward the future, I am resolved to be smarter about my trail choices -- mostly.  There is still something to be said about choosing back-country trails based on location, even though that invariably leads to frustration, asking for (and accepting) help, and most probably a quick turn-around.  If anybody reads this and has more ideas, please let me know!  As I mentioned, the best ideas come from people's experience and recommendations.  

Lake Chelan : seated equalization

One of my favorite things about Multiple Sclerosis (MS) conferences is the following scenario: If you happen to be late to a presentation (as I, unfortunately, am wont to do), you enter when the audience is already seated, and it looks to be a group of "typical" able-bodied attendees.  It is only when the presentation ends and everyone arises that you see the majority of them reaching for canes or walkers, transferring to scooters, or even rolling away in wheelchairs.

Seated activities are great for wheelchair-users for at least two reasons.  1. They are something that we CAN do, in a world filled with things that we can NOT,  and 2. They are activities that we can do together with our non-disabled friends and family.  Sometimes you have to try a little harder to create a seated version of an activity, such as wheelchair-hiking, sitting-volleyball, sit-skiing, etc, and sometimes the activity itself is seated for everyone.  For example, I've heard water sports such as kayaking called "the great equalizer" -- allowing people with mobility impairments to compete and play with non-disabled competitors and friends on a level playing field.  Personally, I always look for a way to be in or on the water -- kayaks, boats, swimming, snorkeling, etc.  This summer I was able to combine two modes of seated activities -- boats and wheelchairs -- in an epic adventure. In this way, I could enjoy the things I love, be a part of an adventure that may have otherwise excluded me, see new areas, and spend time with family members I don't often see.

Lake Chelan (from our campground

The epic journey of the summer centered around Lake Chelan in Central Washington.  I’d long wanted to go, but the season was prohibitively short and complicated – the lake water is warm only in summer, but one runs into crowds, heat, and -- as my brother says -- “Lake Chelan is on fire” (there is usually a significant forest fire near the lake at some point in the late summer).  This year, however, the weather, crowds, and logistics cooperated, giving us a trip to remember.

My husband and my brothers with their families traveled to Chelan, the village at the southern end of the lake, where we rented a pontoon boat.  Rather than take the commercially operated "Lady of the Lake" ferry we opted for the independence of our own boat.  The boat was large enough to fit all 8 of us with our camping gear and my wheelchair.  Although some rental companies didn’t allow their boats to be taken across the entire lake, our company did, and so we did.  We boated and swam for several hours down to the northern end of the lake, where there was a dock for a campground near the outpost of Stehekin.




 (Our campground at the end of the lake)

We camped for two nights by the lake, complete with campfire.  As highlighted in a previous blog, we tricked out our site to be accessible.  On the second day, a wind storm kicked up, reaching 60mph on parts of the lake, explaining why most marinas didn’t allow their rental  boats to cross the entire lake. And grounding us for a day.  We tried to take a hike.  But the trail was too narrow and rocky for the wheelchair, so we had to turn around.

On the last day, we boated a little ways to the backcountry village of Stehekin. Although we did not try it this time, I've read that the village includes one wheelchair-accessible cabin.   The more mobile half of our crew took the back-country bus
to the trailhead and a 2-3 day hike which ended at Cascade Pass  on the North Cascade Highway.  The other half of us took that same (wheelchair accessible) bus up to Rainbow Falls, where we did a short (accessible) hike to the falls, and then we walked down the paved road to the Stehekin Bakery for giant cinnamon rolls.  



The cinnamon rolls provided a good balance to reward even the non-hikers in the group, and the trip back was mainly downhill.  We caught the bus at the bakery for the short drive back to Stehekin, where the boat was docked.  We took the boat back across the lake to the town of Chelan and then drove home to Seattle, where I resumed my life as a disabled person in an able-bodied world.

Hometown Hill: A Tale of Two Parks

Rainbow Crosswalks at Pike & Broadway

Jimi Hendrix on corner of
Pine & Broadway

I live on Capitol Hill – not the home of the nation’s government, but the densely populated

neighborhood on the Left coast.  This area is a haven for alternative lifestyles, coming together around a statue of Jimi Hendrix, rainbow crosswalks, ever-changing restaurants, craft cocktails, and endless bars. 

One of many uprooted (literally) sidewalks
near my house

Capitol HILL

The neighborhood is home to several urban parks, attractive to wheelchair users as well as to the general public.  Of course, as the neighborhood name warns, there is an extremely steep hill to climb to reach the parks at the top.  It is also a place where the sidewalks are so bad that I sometimes go down the streets, even though the streets are terrible!  

The two main parks are a study in opposites.  Cal Anderson Park, named after Washington state's first openly-gay legislator, is an urban park surrounded by apartment buildings, and inhabited by people seeking a spot of grass in the middle of city,  people playing sports on the playfields, and people with nowhere else to be.  As my husband says, every time we visit this park “I just hope that everyone keeps his pants on.”  There is a hard-packed gravel trail around the perimeter, with branches into the center, allowing access to the park’s grass and amenities. There is always a hubbub and excitement, and it's a great location for people -watching while eating an ice-cream cone from nearby Molly Moon's.

Cal Anderson Park

Cal Anderson Park

Volunteer Park is more sedate.  It is a more traditional park, laced with big trees, home to the Asian Art Museum and Shakespeare in the Park, and surrounded by stately mansions and western views.  As an urban park, it experienced a period of drug deals and other deviant behavior, but it is much more calm and traditional than Cal Anderson Park. There are a few gravel trails winding through the park, allowing up-close encounters with the big trees.  Unfortunately, the terrain is quite hilly and the trails are short, but the big trees and expanses of grass create a tempting escape for an afternoon picnic with a Frisbee or book.

Volunteer Park

While neither park offers a network of trails interesting enough for a dedicated wheelchair hike, both parks offer great picnic and people-watching possibilities accessible to an off-road wheelchair.  Choosing one over the other is simply a matter of your mood at the time.