Blue Heron Nature Center
“This 10-acre green space boasts the Blue Heron Nature Trail, a quarter-mile recycled rubber trail around a three-acre pond, and a quarter-mile of boardwalk through forested wetlands.”
Phone 843-726-7611 Here is their website. Brochure Map Trail Map
“Located on 10 acres of green space at Exit 21 on I-95 in Ridgeland, the Blue Heron Nature Center offers you a chance to see blue herons, osprey, alligators, and turtles in their natural setting. Come and enjoy the songs of Carolina wrens and cardinals or the chorus of tree frogs.”
? 0.6 miles one way. There is no mention of ADA on the website or brochure, but all the photos of their paved trail and boardwalk look wheelchair negotiable. However, you had better call ahead to be sure they will work for you.
Author: Cecilia
South Carolina State Parks Guide
South Carolina State Parks Guide, produced by the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, is a pretty thorough guide to the 47 state parks. However, you still need to contact each park individually to learn about accessibility.
-South Carolina State Trails Program
South Carolina State Trails Program produces a comprehensive website through which you can drill to get descriptions of hundreds of trails. You can search by county or by type of trail. The Hiking page divides the state into three regions and clicking on one of these regions will bring you to a list of trails with length and a link to a description of the trail and contact information.
Francis Beidler Forest
Audubon Center & Sanctuary at Frances Beidler Forest
Beidler forest is a “…18,000-acre bird and wildlife sanctuary [that] offers a beauty unsurpassed in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Beidler is the world’s largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest…”
Here is their website. Phone: 843-462-2150
The Boardwalk is a “1.75-mile self-guiding boardwalk trail allows visitors the chance to safely venture deep into the heart of the swamp…to experience the peace and serenity that have characterized the area for centuries…to hear the sounds of bird and bug and breeze that have echoed through the trees for ages…to take a relaxing and informative walk back into time…to see a swamp the way nature intended them to be! The boardwalk provides the opportunity to stroll past the 1000-year-old trees and native wildlife that abounds in this pristine sanctuary that has been untouched for millenia. The walk is fully accessible, with rest areas and rain shelters along the way.”
SCGreat Outdoors
SCGreatOutdoors.com gives a wealth of information about South Carolina. Interactive map of parks with hiking trails with links to park information.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
“Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey and an international center for raptor conservation. Our 2,600-acre mountaintop preserve offers incredible scenic overlooks, eight miles of trail, a Visitor Center, native plant garden, and the Acopian Center for Conservational Learning.”
Here is the Sanctuary website. (610) 756-6961 Accessibility Trail Map slide show of Lookout Trail
Thanks to Annie Trexler who writes that “the native plant garden, bird blind and south lookout are all now wheelchair accessible.”
The Lookout Trail to South Lookout is 900 feet long with a grade of less than 8.3 percent, ….. Most areas are even less steep and overall, the trail averages an 8 percent grade. …Bench seating with pull bars are located every 100 feet….Trail connects to the Laurelwood Niche, a secluded area for education programs and designed to provide space for a wheelchair or stroller. The South Lookout includes a smooth, flat, and natural viewing area with one bench with pull bar. Nearby are two additional benches that offer a place to rest. Binoculars are recommended at all Lookouts.
The Native Plant Garden features a brick walkway that is accessible by wheelchair. The pathway makes a short loop and includes a viewing deck over a small pond. Gates are opened during the daytime hours.
-Pennsylvania State Parks with Accessible Trails
Pennsylvania State Parks with Accessible Trails Thank you Jody Russell of PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks for this list “of state parks that have accessible trails and sightseeing areas that are actually marked as accessible or I believe would be suitable for disabled individuals that would like to enjoy Pennsylvania’s state parks.” She has added contact information for each park listed.
-Accessible ri
Accessible ri This remarkable “guide to accessibility for recreational venues in Rhode Island was originated at a Multiple Sclerosis support group in 2000.” You can browse their website for a wide scope of information by county or by subject such as Things To Do or Places to Stay. Here is their Parks & Recreation page.
General Hiking Guides – Rhode Island and adjacent states
General Hiking Guides –
Here are two guides to trails in Rhode Island and adjacent states.Trails & Walks in Rhode Island Auntie Beak’s Place They both have good descriptions and lots of photographs, but are not designed for people with any kind of handicap. If you want to know more about a specific trail, you could research it on these websites.
Dundery Brook Trail – LIttle Compton
Dundery Brook Trail – Little Compton
The Nature Conservancy’s Dundery Brook Trail crosses forested wetlands, swamps, old fields and wet meadows which “support a changing variety of creatures throughout the year.”
Map Here is their website. 401-331-7110 Descriptions: Rhode Island Families in Nature Rhode Island Blueways
“Dundery Brook trail crosses from the Town’s Veteran’s Field property into the Conservancy’s 118-acre Bumblebee Preserve, across nearly 3,000 feet of boardwalk structure, which then connects with a grassy trail over an old cartpath of an additional 3,000 feet. A hike in and out easily exceeds two miles.”