Author: Cecilia

Arches National Park

Arches National Park 
Arches National Park “…has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks.
Here is the Park website.   Phone 435-719-2299  Map   Trails  Visitor Guide  Accessibility
eyelogo copy“An audio tour of the park’s scenic road is available for purchase or rental at the bookstore. …. Large-print and braille publications are available at the visitor center.”
HikerwithcaneThese three trails are considered “barrier-free”:  (“Barrier-free trails may contain minor obstacles, steeper grades and temporary washouts.”)
Devil’s Garden Trail to Landscape Arch 1.6 miles round-trip
Windows Trail – the first 100 yards only.
Double Arch Trail  – This is a hard surface with a slope.

Double Arch, Arches National Monument UT photographed from easy vantage point
Double Arch, Arches National Monument

Sea Rim State Park

Sea Rim State Park
“Sea Rim State Park has 5.2 miles of Gulf shoreline and 4,000 acres of marshlands.”
Here is the Park website.   Phone 409-917-2559  Trails Map
? Gambusia Marsh Nature Trail 0.75 miles and Dune Boardwalk 0.1 mile are both described as easy.  However, there are no claims for accessibility so perhaps the boardwalks have steps or other obstacles.  Call to find out.

Lake Somerville State Park

Lake Somerville State Park
“Four units make up Lake Somerville State Park. Birch Creek Unit is on the north side of the lake, while Nails Creek Unit is on the southwest side. The 13-mile Lake Somerville Trailway connects the two units. Somerville Public Hunting Land is nearby, also on the lake. Birch Creek and Nails Creek offer access to the lake for fishing, boating, paddling and swimming. ”
Here is the Park website.   Phone 979-535-7763  Trails Map
Wheelchair AccessibleHoneybee Hill Trail at Birch Creek  0.44 mile

Flag Pond Loop 1.67 miles.  Call to be sure this trail is easy for you.

Abilene State Park

Abilene State Park
“Come to the shady banks of Elm Creek, where large trees arch overhead and deer and other critters wander by. Just 16 miles southwest of Abilene, the park has a lake and fishing pond, a historic swimming pool, trails, camping and more.”  There are six trails described as “easy” in addition to the ADA accessible Eagle trail. 
Here is the Park website.  Phone 325-572-3204  Brochure  Map  Trails Map
Wheelchair AccessibleEagle Trail to Buffalo Wallow Pond  1.5 mile on hard surface caliche. 0.5 mile of this trail is wheelchair accessible.
?   There is a “…short Boardwalk to a wildlife viewing platform in the Day Use Area.”

Brazos Bend State Park

Brazos Bend State Park
Brazos Bend State Park includes 5,000 acres of bottomland and upland coastal prairie.  …Woodlands include live-oak gallery forests and mixed bottomland hardwood forest” and there are ” several types of wetlands: swamps, lakes, marshes and short-lived ponds….”  The park is about an hour from Houston.
Here is the Park website.  Phone 979-553-5101  Trails Map
Wheelchair AccessibleCreekfield Lake Nature Trail  0.5 mile paved trail in wetland.  “This short, accessible trail makes it easy for you to see many different kinds of wildlife and features interpretive signs along the way.”

Big Thicket National Preserve

Big Thicket National Preserve
Big Thicket Preserve protects the incredible diversity of life in nine different ecosystems, from longleaf pine forests to cypress-lined bayous. 
Here is the Preserve website.  Phone  409-951-6800 Accessibility  Map  Trails
Quite a few of the trails at Big Thicket look as they might be easy walking, but call first to be sure.
HikerwithcaneWheelchair Accessible? Kirby Nature Trail map  This self-guided trail is not described on the website as wheelchair accessible, but is labeled so on the general park map.
Wheelchair AccessiblePitcher Plant Trail  map  3/4 mile “…boardwalk through the savannah provides easy access for viewing several types of carnivorous plants.”  The first 1/4 mile is accessible.
Wheelchair AccessibleSundew Trail Map  1.0 mile loop  “…a great place to see birds and wildflowers.” The inner loop is accessible.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park
“Guadalupe Mountains National Park protects the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef, the four highest peaks in Texas, an environmentally diverse collection of flora and fauna, and the stories of lives shaped through conflict, cooperation and survival.”
Here is the Park website.   Accessibility   Phone 915-828-3251  Map  Brochure on Day Hikes
Wheelchair AccessiblePinery trail 0.7mile “paved trail leads to the ruins of a mid-1800s Butterfield stagecoach station and features exhibits about the plants of the Chihuahuan Desert.”
Wheelchair AccessibleManzanita Spring Trail 0.5 mile trail “leads to Manzanita Spring and through the orchard once belonging to the Smith family.”
Hikerwithcane? Indian Meadow Nature Trail 0.6 mile round-trip.  Rated “easy”, but call first to be sure.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge lies along a juncture of two major migratory routes for many species of birds.   “It is also at the northern-most point for many species whose range extends south into Central and South America. ……Though small in size, Santa Ana offers visitors an opportunity to see birds, butterflies and many other species not found anywhere else in the United States beyond deep South Texas.”
Here is the Refuge website.   Phone 956-784-7500  Map   Trails Map  Accessibility
Hikerwithcane? The longest of the 12 walking trails at this refuge is just 2 miles.  Call to find out if some are easy enough for you.
Wheelchair AccessibleTour loop  7 miles ADA compliant.  “Accommodations are possible for wheelchair users on the tram (inquire at the Visitor Center).”
Wheelchair AccessibleChachalaca Trail 0.5 miles

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge
“Within the refuge, old growth stands of mature Ashe juniper, low-growing shin oaks, grasslands and spring-fed creeks provide important habitat for many species unique to the Texas Hill Country.  At least one-third of Texas’s threatened and endangered species live or move through this part of the Hill Country, the Edwards Plateau.”
Here is the Refuge website.     Phone 512-339-9432  Map   Trails
   Warbler Vista Trail Map    Doeskin Ranch Trail Map
Wheelchair AccessibleThe only mention of accessibility on the refuge website is an accessible photo blind on Post Oak Creek Trail and an accessible sunset deck at Warbler Vista reached via the Ridgeline Trail.   Both these trails are described as having “moderate” grades (5% to 8%) and “native” surfaces.    There are numerous trails described as “gentle”.
Wheelchair Accessible? Pond and Prairie Trail at Doeskin Ranch is 0.38 mile and “gentle” with a cross slope of only 1.5.  The surface is “native/paved”.  Better call to learn where it is safe for you to go.