Bella Coola Loop: Part 2 (of 3) -- Bella Coola Valley

Bella Coola Valley

The Bella Coola Valley in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, is worthy of national park status for its natural beauty.  It is a wide, non-claustrophobic valley, framed by mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls.  It is accessed on the eastern end by a dirt highway with hairpin turns but no guard rails leading up "The Hill" to Highway 20 and  then to the Chilcotin Plataeau and interior of British Columbia.  At the western end is the charming and unassuming First Nations town of Bella Coola, which can be accessed only by boat from the Pacific Ocean via a long inlet, the Bentinck Arm.

Bentinck Arm near Bella Coola, BC

We approached the valley and town on a BC ferry from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island.  This ride was worth the journey just for the day-long view of coastal mountains, sea life, and sea scapes.

The boat was mostly wheelchair accessible.  In order to change deck levels, we had to take the elevator.  There was no problem going between the passenger deck (which has a cafeteria, gift shop, seats, and views), the sun deck on top, and the cabin deck (which I didn't explore, since ours was only a day trip).  The entrance to the elevator on the vehicle deck, where we parked the car, however, had a very steep and narrow ramp which necessitated transferring from my power chair to a manual chair (luckily the ship had one) and making the journey to and up the elevator in a manual chair.  I then waited on the passenger deck while they carried up my power chair for me to transfer back into.  This only worked because I had a travel power chair, which disassembles into parts light enough to carry.  Because of the complicated and arduous nature of this trip, I didn't take advantage of any of the breaks offered which opened up the vehicle deck to passenger access.   Rather, I made sure to bring everything with me.  I don't know whether or not other boats have this configuration.  I have read that the ferry from Part Hardy to Prince Rupert offers wheelchair accessible cabins for this longer, overnight trip.

Bella Coola townsite

Bella Coola harbor

Bella Coola has numerous ramps leading to houses and businesses.  The general and grocery stores are flat and accessible.  There are a few all-inclusive luxury lodges in the valley.  I don't know about accessibility, because the lodges were too expensive to explore.  There are some campgrounds outside of town, although the presence of grizzly bears prohibited soft-sided camping arrangements (tents).  Some campgrounds provide accessible outhouses, but some do not.  Bella Coola has couple of cheaper motels, one of which (Bella Coola Motel -- owned by the First Nations community) has one unit with a ramp.  The inside is not accessible, however, so we took off the bathroom door to make the doorway wide enough (barely) to pass through with a narrow wheelchair, and I used the shower and commode chairs that I'd brought.  The inside had a really nice "cabin" feel, with a full kitchen.  The staff were extremely friendly and helpful.  As with most of the lodging and tourist agencies along the way, the manager was very informal about paperwork and payment procedures.

Since we visited in October, the tours were mostly done for the year.  One fjord tour might have worked with the wheelchair, but it was too windy to take out the boat on our scheduled day and then the tour was done for year.  The drift boats were still operating, but they were fully booked for the week.  One of them had seats with backs and thus looked possible with a bit of work and attitude.

After the decline of the forestry and the canning industries, the town and valley seem to be in the path of an oncoming wave of tourism, which is being met slowly and with many questions.  The answers are made more complicated and challenging by the low salmon run experienced in the past couple of years.  With few salmon, come few bears.  Many bears have descended even lower into the valley, with its fruit orchards, crab pots, and small towns, in search of alternate food sources to fatten up before hibernation.  For the tourist, this means fewer bears at the usual salmon-feeding locations.  For the resident, this means more potential for conflict with bears.  For the bear, this means less food, more potential for conflict with people, and a higher chance of death on both accounts.


We spent a few days watching bears.  Because of the low salmon runs, there were only a few bears, but patience brought some good sightings.

Belarko bear-viewing platform in Tweedsmuir Park

The Belarko bear-viewing platform in Tweedsmuir Park is flat and accessible.  Bears usually fished in and across the river from the platform, although some did walk right by the platform.  Luckily, the platform was surrounded by electric wire and was always staffed by a local guide.  The platform has no steps, and the guides even allowed disabled guests to drive from the parking lot to the platform, where they could load and pick up guests (quickly and quietly).

Tweedsmuir Park Fisheries bear-viewing

At the Tweedsmuir Park Fisheries Pool, bears could be viewed in and around the pond.  The Fisheries campground also boasts an accessible outhouse.    Both wildlife-viewing areas are surrounded by gorgeous scenery.

Of course this looked much worse in reality!

We also spent a couple of days driving back roads, which opened up even more spectacular scenery of mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls.  Brochures recommended a 4WD for these unpaved roads, though we soon discovered that it was really more than a recommendation, so we rented a serious high clearance 4WD truck from Bella Coola Vehicle Rentals and were rewarded with  amazing views, such as Odegard Falls, Purgatory Point, and Bentinck Inlet.  Correctly guessing that there wouldn't be many outhouses or people in the back country, we brought along a commode chair, so we could go anywhere.

Purgatory Glacier

Bentinck Arm 

The Hll

We left the valley on the eastern route, by going up "The Hill" (unpaved) to Hechtman Pass and coming down on the paved Highway 20 to the Chilcotin Plateau of British Columbia.












Next: Part 3 (Highways 20, 97, and 99)

Bella Coola Loop: Part 1 (of 3) -- Northern Vancouver Island

Once again, like the trip to the Arctic Circle a few years ago, our 2018 trip was formed by a map.  Not a very good one.  While looking at our map of British Columbia (BC) several years ago, we noticed that the BC Ferries stopped about 1/3 of the way up the coast, at the end of an inlet, at a place called Bella Coola.  It also looked possible, based on a barely-visible grey line, to drive east out of Bella Coola to a major road that would lead south to Vancouver and then Seattle.

Well, it turned out that not only was this loop possible, but it was actually a named "thing," packaged and advertised by BC Ferries and made even more attractive by the opportunity to photograph grizzly bears, who descended to the Great Bear Rain Forest from the mountains in September and October to feast on the salmon returning to their birth streams to spawn.

Despite the dissipation of some of the mystery, we decided to give this circuit a try.  We drove to Vancouver, where we crossed over from Tsawassen to Vancouver Island by ferry, and then we drove up to Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.  We explored the northern part of the island for several days, and then we took an all-day ferry from Port Hardy to Bella Coola, where we stayed for a week.  After that, we drove east from Bella Coola, up "the Hill" and across Highway 20, stopping at Nimpo Lake and Lake Tatlayoko.  At Williams Lake we joined Highway 97, which took us, by way of Highway 99 (Sea-to-Sky Highway) and the mountain towns of Lillooet, Pemberton, and Whistler, south to Vancouver and eventually home to Seattle.

The most stunning impression of this trip was that of non-stop beauty.  We continually remarked that every part of BC was worthy of national park status, simply transitioning from one awe-inspiring view to another.  The second most striking impression was that of color.  Reminiscent of our trip to the arctic circle a few years ago, this trip (and especially the second half) stunned us with the colors of autumn: golden deciduous trees and red sumac, vine maples, and blueberry bushes.

"Was the area wheelchair accessible?" you ask.  Well, the answer depends on your definition of "wheelchair accessible."  As expected, the further north we went, the fewer options for wheelchairs there were.  In fact, there are very few officially accessible choices in Bella Coola Valley or on Highway 20.  Unofficial accessibility is also limited, varying by individual needs, willingness to accept help, and attitude.

Northern Vancouver Island was a mixed bag of accessibility.  The main town of Port Hardy had the most scooters per capita I've seen (probably because it's a small town, so lots people use scooters instead of cars), which helped ensure that sidewalks and retail entrances were accessible.  I spent a good amount of time and money at Cafe Guido.   We stayed at the Kwa'lilas Hotel, a First Nations hotel in the center of town, with at least one officially accessible room, complete with a (too narrow) roll-in shower and a toilet grab bar.  There was an accessible restaurant/bar on site, and it was perhaps the most beautifully-decorated hotel I've ever seen.

Trail to Eternal Fountain

Eternal Fountain

We drove the unpaved Alice Lake Loop.  Aside from beautiful views from the car, we were able to get out and go for a short hike at the Eternal Fountain -- a waterfall where the water disappears into the karst landscape.  We also passed Link River Campground, a park in the trees with large, flat campsites and a ramped bathroom.



About 1 1/2 hours from Port Hardy, on the unpaved logging road to Cape Scott Provincial Park, is a pull-out for Ronning's Garden.  This 5-acre garden in the middle of the rain forest is reached by 10 minute accessible-but-muddy path, and the garden (not very accessible to roll around) is worth a quick stop.

San Josef Bay

We also spent a few days camping at San Josef Bay in Cape Scott Provincial Park, as I've blogged about previously.  There is a miraculous trail that is accessible for all-terrain wheelchairs with hill-assistance from the parking lot to the campsites on San Josef Bay.  This 3 km trail through a coastal rainforest, with its old growth trees, lowland bogs, and mossy second growth forest, allowed me to backpack for the first time in years. My caveats and warnings, however, include that there is no water (potable or not) at the trail's end, that the campsites are challenging for wheelchairs (sandy ground and overgrown access trails), and that the accessible  outhouse (large and with bars) at the end of the trail is on a concrete platform raised 4" above the ground.  If you are able and willing to circumvent these obstacles, hiking to -- and camping at -- the bay is an unforgettable experience.  With the right wheelchair, you can even travel on the hard-packed sand of First Beach at low tide (be careful -- in some places the sand turns too loose and deep for even all-terrain wheelchairs) and see the amazing seastacks coming out of the beach.

Sea stacks on First Beach in San Josef Bay

Accessible rainforest trail to First Beach

Next part (2 of 3): Bella Coola Valley

San Josef Bay

First Beach at San Josef Bay, Cape Scott Provincial Park, BC

Backpacking was a big part of life in my twenties.  It was also what threw me into an existential crisis when -- after I got my first wheelchair -- somebody asked, "Do you like backpacking?"  How do you answer that question, if you really like something, but you can't actually do it?  Ever since I started wheelchair hiking, I have wanted to go wheelchair backpacking.  I think I may have finally accomplished that goal.


I have to qualify this with "I think," because we hiked on a well-maintained trail to a small group of campsites.  Still, we did have backpacks: Ted had a huge one on his back, and I had a much smaller one on the back of my wheelchair.  Moreover, getting to the campsite involved a significant hike of 3 km through a magical rainforest.





The trail to San Josef Bay starts in a parking lot in Cape Scott Provincial Park, about 64 km of mainly unpaved logging roads from Port Hardy (about 11/2 hours) on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.  The trail is a miracle!  It is well-maintained, mostly medium-to-hard-packed gravel, with a boardwalk in some areas.  It was advertised as wheelchair accessible with assistance, and it really was.  "Some assistance" was advised, because there were some steep hills.  The trail meanders through a coastal rainforest with large, mossy trees nd even old-growth trees, lowland bogs, and mushrooms.

At the end of the trail was San Josef Bay and the campsites at First Beach.  The ground was a bit sandy for wheelchair ease, but the view made the discomfort worth it.  The more difficult challenge was getting to the sites themselves, since the paths are quite narrow and overgrown, requiring serious assistance.  There is no water source.  Water can be obtained about 1 km away at the stream at Second Beach,  but it must be filtered or boiled before drinking, and Second Beach is only accessible by a slippery, narrow path.

Although the outhouses at the trailhead in the parking lot were fully wheelchair accessible, the outhouse at the end of the trail, at the campground, wasn't.  Oh, it was labelled with a wheelchair sign on the door, and it was bigger than usual.  It even had grab bars inside.  But it was situated on a concrete platform that was about 4" off of the ground.  What were they thinking?




My biggest asset was a former Eagle Scout, who pushed me up hills, helped me brake down hills, refilled water bottles from the Second Beach stream, and made an extra trip to carry all of our camping gear -- a double air mattress about 20" high, large tent that fits this air mattress plus a wheelchair, commode wheelchair, and privacy tent that houses that wheelchair and serves as an outhouse.



Like most campsites, ours was on the edge of the rainforest, in big, beautiful trees.  It was also right next to -- and looking out at -- the gorgeous San Josef beach and bay.  There was one other group there the first night, but nobody else there the second night.  We had our own private beach-front campground

We camped two nights, which gave us a full day to hike on the beach as far as we could go.  We started a couple of hours before low tide and ended a couple of hours after it, so the water was way out, and there was sandy beach around the rocks for a long ways.  With the Freedom Chair, I was able to go on most of the beach -- including the rippled sand and even in the water.  When the sand got soft and deep, however, the chair started sinking, and I needed help getting out.   In fact, where the sand was too soft and deep, Ted had to drag me by the front wheel.  I have since received a new pneumatic front wheel (thanks, Alex!), and hope to avoid this scenario in the future.

The biggest surprise were the sea stacks -- tall rocks stacked in different shapes, which are usually seen sticking out of the water.  Because it was low tide and the water was out, the rocks were coming out of the sand.  In fact, the end of beach looked like a museum, and the rocks were the exhibits on display.  We were able to wander through, enjoying them both close up and as a whole from afar.

Then it was back to our campsite in the trees.  On the way out the next day, we were accompanied by a light, misty rain, allowing us to see the rainforest in its full glory.  Despite the challenges, this may have been the best wheelchair hike yet!

Wrapping Up: Two Years of Wheelchair Accessible Trails

Two years of riding the Freedom Chair and blogging about my adventures.  Another life chapter has drawn to a close, and once again I find myself needing to reinvent myself -- who I am and what I do -- partly to reestablish my own sense of identity and purpose and partly to answer that dreaded question asked in American introductions: "So, what do you do?"   In the meantime, I've cut-and-pasted and compiled a summary of the trails I've found to be wheelchair-accessible in the past couple of years. (Interestingly, it's probably shorter than the unwritten summary of trails I've found to be NOT wheelchair accessible in the past couple of years.)  If you want more details, read the old blogs.

(as always, please excuse the formatting)



Seattle 

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
Other: I hear they've added more accessible trail

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

Western WA outside of Seattle

Trail:  Billy Frank Jr Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Location: Olympia, WA

Distance: 5 miles

Surface: Mostly boardwalk; section of hard-packed gravel

Views: Puget Sound, Mt Rainier, Olympic Mountains, wildlife (birds)

Trailhead: Parking lot for $3/car at exit 114 off of I-5
Elevation Gain: 10 feet

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: 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: 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: Gold Creek Pond

Location: Snoqualmie Pass, WA

Distance: 1 mile loop

Surface: paved (muddy if wet), some boardwalk

Wheelchair: Power or manual chair, if conditions are good; otherwise, third wheel 

View: Gold Creek Pond, mountains, forest

Trailhead: Exit 54 off of I-90 is about 2 miles east of Snoqualmie Summit
                                                    Other: Picnic tables at Pond

Trail: Peoh Point

Location: Cle Elum, WA

Distance: 2 miles round trip

Surface: dirt road

Wheelchair: manual with third wheel

View: Cascade mountains, flowers, Snoqualmie Pass, Cle Elum Lake

Trailhead: South Cle Elum Way to 6th/Westwood to paved/signed road to FR 3350.  At five-way intersection with parking, continue on left road till gate and park there.  (warning - potholes!)

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: Mountain Lake

Location: Orcas Island, WA

Distance: 3.9 miles round trip

Surface: dirt

Wheelchair: manual chair with third wheel

View: Mountain Lake, forest, birds

Trailhead: The parking area is 1/4 mile down Mountain Lake Turnoff, near Eastsound, on Orcas Island.
Other: I hesitate to call this trail wheelchair-accessible, because of the barrier to prevent bikes at the beginning, which necessitates disembarking and having someone carry you across.  However,                                                           once past the barrier, the rest of the path is flat and accessible and                                                       beautiful.  Someone should contact Moran State Park!

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)                      

Oregon

Trail: Tualatin River National Wildlife Reserve main trail

Location: Sherwood, OR

Distance: 3.1 mile loop

Surface: dirt (mud)

Wheelchair: all-terrain chair

View: Wildlife refuge, birds, river, forest

Trailhead: SW of Portland, OR on SW Pacific Highway, between Tualatin and Sherwood, OR

Trail: Lewis and Clark Commemorative Trail

Location: Umatilla, OR

Distance: 7.3 miles one-way

Surface: hard-packed gravel

Wheelchair: all-terrain chair

View: Columbia River

Trailheads: McNary Beach Park, Hat Rock State Park, or Warehouse Beach

California Coast

Trail:  Runyon Canyon Park - to Inspiration Point

Location: Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, CA

Distance: 1.6 miles out & back

Surface: paved, dirt, hard-packed gravel

Wheelchair: manual chair

Views: Hollywood sign, hills, and mansions, LA skyline, flowers and cacti

Trailhead: North end of Fuller Ave
Other: busy urban trail, bring water

             

Trail: Point Vicente

Location: Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, CA

Distance: 5.6 miles out & back

Surface: dirt

Wheelchair: manual chair

Views:  Pacific Ocean, whales, lighthouse, interpretive center

Trailhead: Interpretive Center at end of Point Vicente Interpretive Center Road at curve where Palos Verdes Dr W meets Palos Verdes Dr S.

Trail: Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail

Location: Monterey, CA

Distance: 18 miles one-way

Surface: paved

Wheelchair:  power chair

View: Pacific Ocean, sand dunes, otters and marine mammals, Monterey Bay, harbor, & city

Trailheads: several on & off points along coast from Pacific Grove to Castroville.
                                                     Other: busy multi-use urban trail

Trail: Asilomar Beach

Location: Pacific Grove, CA

Distance: 2.6 miles out & back

Surface: hard-packed sand, boardwalks

Wheelchair:   manual with third wheel

View: Pacific Ocean, beach with dunes, rocks, otters, sunset

Trailheads: Multiple parking spaces and entrances to Asilomar Beach off of Ocean View Blvd in Pacific Grove.

British Columbia

Trail: Othello Tunnels

Location: Hope, BC

Distance: 3.5 km round-trip

Surface: packed gravel

Wheelchair: manual chair with third wheel or all-terrain chair

View: train tunnels, gorge with raging rivers and sheer granite cliffs, forest

Trailhead: parking lot for Coquihalla Provincial Park, off of Highway 5, about 12 miles northeast of Hope

Trail: Paintbrush Trail and Cascade Lookout 

Location: Hope, BC

Distance: 1.5 km+
Surface: packed gravel
Wheelchair: manual chair with third wheel or all-terrain chair
View: mountains, valleys, wild flowers
Trailhead: parking lot of Cascade Lookout in EC Manning Provincial Park, off of Highway 3, about 40 miles southeast of Hope

Trail: Inland Lake

Location: Powell River, Sunshine Coast, BC

Distance: 13km round-trip

Surface: crushed limestone and boardwalk

Wheelchair: power chair

View: lake, forest

Trailhead: Inland Lake Provincial Park 
Other: There are supposedly three cabins on the trail; I haven't investigated them, but it might make a great overnight trip.

Trails: Take it Easy and Monty's Way

Location:  Hidden Grove, Sechelt, BC

Distance: 400m loop & 800m there & back

Surface: "hard surface"

Wheelchair: manual chair with third wheel

View: forest with big trees, Salish Sea

                                                 Trailhead: Coming from Gibsons at the main traffic light in                                                        Sechelt turn right onto Wharf Road and then right after 600                                                      meters to Sechelt Inlet Road. Follow Sechelt Inlet Road for                                                      6 k to the parking area and head of the trail.

Trail: Wild Pacific Trail Lighthouse loop

Location: Ucluelet, BC
Distance: 2.6 km loop

Surface: paved and?

Wheelchair: power chair and all-terrain chair, depending on part of trail travelled

View: Pacific Ocean, rocky coastal headlands, mossy rainforest, lighthouse, bog

Trailhead: Follow the signs in Ucluelet

Trail: Wild Pacific Trail Ancient Cedars loop

Location: Ucluelet, BC

Distance: 1 km loop
Surface: dirt

Wheelchair: all-terrain chair with assistance

View: Big old trees

Trailhead: Park alongside Pacific Rim Highway about 3 miles north of Ucluelet and follow bike trail to signed Ancient Cedars trail.
Other: Very steep beginning



Trail: Radar Hill

Location: Tofino, BC

Distance: .6 km there and back
Surface: pavement and boardwalk

Wheelchair: power chair

View: ocean, mountains

Trailhead: Radar Hill exit on Pacific Rim Highway south of Tofino. For the upper lookout, park in the first parking lot.  For the lower lookout, drive farther and park in the second parking lot.
Other: parking pass needed (kiosks sell them on site).

Trail: Shorepine Bog 

Location: Tofino, BC

Distance: 1 km

Surface: boardwalk

Wheelchair: power or manual chair

View: bog with dwarfed and stunted trees

Trailhead: Take the Wickaninnish exit on the Pacific Rim Highway and continue about 2km until you see the sign for the Shorepine Bog Trail.

Trail: Cathedral Grove

Location: Qualicum, Vancouver Island, BC
Distance: ?short

Surface: dirt

Wheelchair: manual chair with third wheel or all-terrain chair

View: Big, old trees, gentle river

Trailhead: In  MacMillan Park, 25k west of Qualicum 

Trail: Universal Access Trail in the Ancient Forest

Location: Ancient Forest, Prince George, BC 

Distance: 450 meters

Surface: boardwalk

Wheelchair: power chair

View: Forest of big trees, rushing stream

Trailhead: Midway between Prince George and McBride (113 km) on Highway 16

Trail: Rancheria Falls

Location: Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada)

Distance: short

Surface: boardwalk

Wheelchair: power chair

View: Rancheria River and Falls

Trailhead: Post 1112.5 km on the Alaska Highway

Trails: Glacier National Park, BC:

            Hemlock Grove Boardwalk
          








  1885
                                Abandoned Rails

Location: Glacier National Park, BC

Distance: HGB 300 m
                 1885 7.2 km there and back
                 AR 2.4 km there and back

Surface: HGB boardwalk and paved
               1885 probably dirt and gravel
               AR probably dirt and gravel

Wheelchair: HGB power chair
                     1885 probably all-terrain chair
                      AR probably all-terrain chair

View: HGB rainforest
          1885 railway interpretive, forest, mountains
          AR forest, mountains

Trailhead: Rogers Pass, Glacier National Park, BC

Canadian Rockies

Trail: Takakkaw (Tak) Falls
Location: Yoho National Park

Distance: about 1/3 mile

Surface: paved

Wheelchair: power chair

View: waterfall, cliffs

Trailhead: signed parking lot in Yoho National Park
Other: hilly. misty, so be prepared to get wet

Trail: Emerald Lake
Location: Yoho National Park

Distance: 5.2 km

Surface: paved, hard-packed gravel, dirt

Wheelchair: power chair on pavement, all-terrain chair

View: lake with mountains

Trailhead: signed parking lot in Yoho National Park
Other: At end of lake trail deteriorates to narrow with roots

Trail: Peyto Lake Overlook
Location: Icefields Parkway 

Distance: 2.7 km round trip

Surface: paved

Wheelchair: power chair

View: Peyto lake, mountains, glacier

Trailhead: Signed upper parking lot with buses
Other: Lower car parking lot possible, but more hills, steep

Trail: Bow Summit 
Location: Icefields Parkway 

Distance: 2.9 km one way 

Surface: after paved path, fire road with hard-packed dirt up to summit, eventually narrowing to dirt path

Wheelchair: all-terrain chair

View: Bow Lake & Glacier, mountains, flowers, marmots

Trailhead: Signed parking lot on Icefields Parkway

Other: very steep, bugs

Trail: Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail
Location: Lake Louise and Banff National Park

Distance: 2-6 km one way (depends how far you go)

Surface: well-paved, then poorly paved, then dirt with boardwalks

Wheelchair: power chair then all-terrain chair

                                                View: Lake Louise, mountains

                                                Trailhead: signed parking lot
                                                Other: crowded; trail along                                                                                                         lake is flat, but back side is very steep

Trail:Pyramid Lake Island
Location: Jasper National Park

Distance: short

Surface: hard-packed dirt

Wheelchair: manual chair with third wheel

View: lake, mountains, Mt Edith Cavell, elk

Trailhead: cross wooden bridge leading from a parking lot about ½ mile from the Pyramid Lake Resort in Jasper National Park.

Trail: Mary Schaeffer Loop
Location: Jasper National Park

Distance: 2 miles

Surface: paved

Wheelchair: power chair

View: Lake Maligne

Trailhead: East side of Lake Maligne, Jasper National Park
Other: didn't go on this trail, so can't confirm details

Trail:  Bald Hills 
Location: Jasper National Park

Distance: 6.5 km (round trip)

Surface: fire road with dirt

Wheelchair: all-terrain

View: ?

Trailhead: Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park

Other: didn't go on this trail, so can't confirm details

Trail: Lake Annette
Location: Jasper National Park

Distance: 2.4 km round traip

Surface: paved

Wheelchair: power chair

View: lake

Trailhead: signed parking lot in Jasper National Park
Other:

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)


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

https://thegreattrail.ca 
http://travability.travel/Canada/bc_hiking_trails.html
https://vancouverisland.travel/wheelchair-accessible-trails-vancouver-island/
http://blog.hellobc.com/get-back-nature-10-accessible-hiking-trails-bc/
https://sci-bc.ca/haida-gwaii-opens-wheelchair-friendly-boardwalks-and-virtual-hike/
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/all/adaptive/
https://www.cariboord.bc.ca/services/recreation-2/accessible-trails/accessible-trails-2
https://www.crd.bc.ca/docs/default-source/parks-pdf/userfriendly-trails.pdf
https://cariboord.ca/services/recreation-2/accessible-trails/sisters-creek-kersley
https://www.slrd.bc.ca/recreation-culture/parks-trails/sea-sky-trail
http://www.visitwestside.com/shannonlake/
http://www.sunshine-coast-trails.com/cliff-gilker.html
http://www.sookeoutdoors.com/gallopinggoosetrail/
http://tourismpg.com/activities/great-west-life-gwl-mobility-nature-trail
https://www.trails.com/ca/bc/revelstoke/hemlock-grove-trail