Ouabache State Park
Ouabache (pronouced Wabash) State Park, Blufton, runs along the north side of the Wabash River. Although the Indiana Recreation Guidebook shows accessible hiking for this park, I don’t see that on their map.
Map Phone 260-824-0926 Here is their website.
? Trails #1 (1 mile), #2 (1.5 miles) and #3 (1.5 miles) are all described as “easy”. Call to learn just how easy.
? There is a paved bicycle path more or less parallel to the river. Call to see if it would work for a wheelchair.
Author: Cecilia
Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes State Park’s 2,182 acres lie at the north end of State Road 49 in Porter County, and includes more than three miles of beautiful beach along Lake Michigan’s southern shore. Sand dunes tower nearly 200 feet above the lake. A wide range of habitats provides homes for many types of plants and animals.
Map Phone (219) 926-1952 Here is their website.
The only trail with an accessible icon on the map is to the beach and described as “moderate.”
Trail #2 is 3 “easy” miles and good for early spring flowers and ferns. Best to call to be sure it is easy for you.
Browns County State Park
Brown County State Park
Brown County State Park is Indiana’s largest park at almost 16,000 acres of “rugged hills, ridges and fog-shrouded ravines. Glaciers from the most recent ice ages stopped short of the ‘hills o’ Brown,’ but their meltwaters helped create the narrow ridges, steep slopes and deep gullies of Brown County State Park. ”
Here is their website Phone 812-988-6406
Friends Trail “Short, easy, paved trail, with benches and vista on flat terrain.”
-Indiana Recreation Guidebook
Indiana Recreation Guidebook
This guide to recreation in Indiana has a short entry for each of the many parks. There is a location map, phone number, and a set of icons for the different amenities. Seventeen of them have a dotted line indicating accessibility around the hiking icon. It will take me a while to learn about these, but if you have a favorite, please let me know and I will add it to this site.
Dow Gardens and Whiting Forest
Dow Gardens and Whiting Forest
The Dow Gardens at Midlands encompass 110 acres with seven different gardens, including the Pollinator Garden, Streamwalk, and Color Garden. Accessibility
Here is the Gardens’ website. Phone 989-631-2677 or 800-362-4874 There is an entrance fee.
There are over two miles of “barrier-free-hardsurfaced pathways. There are also golf cart tours twice daily (except Sundays) May through September. Call ahead to reserve one of the four loaner wheelchairs.
Thank you Kate for sending me information about this and other Michigan accessible trails.
Thank you to Alicia Kildau for this additional information: Whiting Forest, adjacent to the Gardens and run by it, has the largest canopy walk in the country and most of it is ADA accessible (there are a few rope sections going off it that aren’t).
Tawas Point State Park
Tawas Point State Park
This small park is a “.. jagged hook of sandy beaches, wetlands and small dunes…” This unique sand dune ecosystem is a major landfall for birds migrating across Saginaw Bay. It is a wonderful spot for birding. Thanks go to Kate for letting me know about it.
Tawas Bay Pedestrian and Bike Path 13.9 miles paved travels along the edge of Tawas Bay from the Park to Dyer and North Huron Road. Here is the TrailLink.com description.
Sandy Hook Trail 1.5 miles, sandy interpretive path with a few stretches of boardwalk. Map and detailed guide.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
This almost 50,000 acre state park is near the northern tip of the western region of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Thank you to Kate who brought this park and its beautiful waterfalls to my attention. The Upper Falls drops nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. The Lower Falls is a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island. Here is the Park’s website.
Phone 906-492-3415 Here are maps of both the camping areas and the trails. Detailed map of the Upper Falls Day Use Area. Detailed map of the Lower Falls Day Use Area. Facebook page.
Trail to the Upper Falls 0.3 miles Loaner wheelchairs are available at the “Fact Shack” by the parking lot.
? Nature Trail 0.3 miles. I am not sure how easy this is. Better check with the park first.
Trail and road to Lower Falls about 0.2 miles paved plus 0.4 miles gravel road along the river with views of the falls.
Akaka Falls State Park
‘Akaka Falls State Park
This park on the Island of Hawai’i offers lush tropical vegetation and scenic vista points overlooking the Kahuna Falls (cascading down 300 feet) and the ‘Akaka Falls (free-falling 442 feet). Both falls plunge into a steep-sided gulch cut by Kolekole Stream.
? Overlook trail to Kahuna Falls and ‘Akaka Falls 0.4 mile paved loop. This trail “…requires some physical exertion with stairs, short uphill slopes, and several bridges over small tributary streams. The trail is not ADA accessible.”
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
The adjacent Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the southern Sierra Nevada of California have some accessible and easy trails. The parks include high mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, marble caverns, and the world’s largest trees. Elevations range from 1,300′ in the foothills to 14,491′ at the summit of Mt. Whitney. Much of the parks area is designated wilderness. The two parks are administered together by the National Park Service. Thank you Gary Rogers for bringing these parks to my attention.
There are five visitor centers and a museum. Two of the visitor centers, Foothills and Kings Canyon, and the museum are open year around.
Here is the Parks’ website. Park phone 559-565-3341
Cedar Grove area trails
Zumwalt Meadow 1.5-mile trail, some of it boardwalk. The trail “…passes high granite walls, lush meadows, and the Kings River.” Parts of this trail were washed out in early 2017, making it more difficult. Check with the visitor center.
Roaring River Falls paved “Relatively accessible” “…A very short, shady walk to a powerful waterfall rushing through a granite chute.”
? Mist Falls 3 of the first 4 miles to the falls are “relatively flat” but the last mile to the falls rises 600″.
Giant Forest and Lodgepole trails
General Sherman Tree. There is handicapped parking and an accessible trail two miles north of the Giant Forest Museum on the Generals Highway. The main trail is only 0.5 mile, but includes some stairs.
Big Trees Trail 0.66 mile paved loop starting at Giant Forest Museum.
Grant Grove trails
General Grant Tree Trail 0.33 mile paved. Trail to one of the world’s largest living trees.
? North Grove Loop 1.5 mile through “…quiet walk past meadows and creeks, through mixed conifer and sequoia forest.”
Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens
Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens
These ninety-nine acres in Stamford include twelve gardens and numerous trails. Here is their website. The website says that “Our trails are perfect for children (and dogs) of all ages.” Admission is free. Phone 203-322-6971 Monday through Friday Facebook Page Trails map
? Bartlett Arboretum Trail 1.3 mile loop said by Alltrails to be suitable for all skill levels.