Cecilia - Accessible Nature

Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most popular bird photography places in the American West. It lies between the Chupadera Mountains to the west and the San Pascual Mountains to the east and is a critical stopover for migrating waterfowl. The refuge is well known for the tens of thousands of cranes, geese, and ducks that winter here each year.
Here is the Refuge website. Trail descriptions The website does not state the difficulty of these trails. Most sound pretty easy, but you should call ahead or check with the visitor center. Phone 575-835-1828. There are more trails than I have listed below.

Marsh Overlook Trail is an easy 1.5 mile walk around a seasonally flooded wetland.
Boardwalk Trail 0.5 mile round trip

Rio Viejo Trail is 1.7 mile round trip along a former channel of the Rio Grande.
Desert Arboretum 0.25mi. described as “mostly accessible”.

Snow Geese taking flight in front of an accessible vantage point at Bosque Del Apache, NM — Snow Geese take flight at Bosque Del Apache © Cathy & Gordon Illg

You can see thousands of waterbirds and photograph them from your car. Thank you Cathy & Gordon Illg for this shot of snow geese and photographers.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

The Wakodahatchee Wetllands in Palm Beach County has some barrier free boardwalks and is a great place for birding and bird photography. Admission is free. It is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.

Gatorland

Gatorland
Gatorland in Orlando is described by one reviewer at Trip Advisor as “very wheelchair friendly.” Gatorland plans to have zip line starting in the fall of 2014 that will allow visitors with lower-body disabilities to glide over the alligators. Here is their website. Phone 407-885-5496 Map

Thank you Cathy and Gordon Illg for the great photo.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm has every living species of crocodilian. In addition they have a wide range of other animals from around the world. Not exactly a contemplative nature walk, but it looks like fun. Here is a description of the birds there from Florida Birding Trail. Great place for photography.
Here are some rave reviews from from Trip Advisor and others. This is their website. Map Phone 904-824-3337
The whole park is wheelchair accessible. Children and adults in wheelchairs are half price and seniors, AAA and military get a 10% discount.
This shot of their boardwalk is thanks to photographers Gordon and Cathy Illg.

Easy boardwalk at St. Augustine Alligator Farm, FL © Gordon and Cathy Illg

Pawnee Campgrounds

This is some information about Pawnee Campgrounds

Antigonish

Antigonish

Our car broke down in Antigonish, causing us to spend an unplanned night there and to discover their lovely river walk – the Antigonish Landing Trail. Map The trail is a well maintained 4.8 km level road besides an estuary of the Antigonish Harbour. We didn’t complete the entire trail, but the part we did walk was wheelchair accessible. There are some elevated shelters which are not accessible

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Looking down to water, MIddle Head trail — **Middle Head trail, Ingonish**

Cape Breton Highlands National Park
This beautiful park “protects 950 square kilometres of unceded Mi’kmaq territory showcasing majestic plateaus, deeply cut river canyons and spectacular coastal scenery.”
Phone 902-224-2306 Here is their website.

The park has few accessible trails. We walked the Middle Head trail from Ingonish. It is just 2 1/4 miles, not at all wheel chair accessible and I would have thought too rough for most disabled people. However in spite of a heart condition and a bum knee, my sister carefully and slowly managed the whole loop.

Rocks and sea, Middle Head loop — Rocks and sea at the far end of the Middle Head loop trail

Lobster traps in sea below trail — Looking down on lobster traps from Middle Head Trail

Wild roses bloom at the edge of cliffs at Middle Head trail.

Boardwalk at Cape Breton — The Bog Trail boardwalk, Cape Breton

We didn’t get to the 1.1 mile wheelchair accessible loop Freshwater Lake Trail at Ingonish Beach

The Bog Trail is half an hour from Cheticamp and is a short wheelchair accessible boardwalk loop. There are interpretive signs and we were there in June when the pitcher plants were in bloom. Later in the year there are bog orchids to admire.

Pitcher plants in bloom along Bog Trail, Cape Breton

Salmonier Nature Park

I haven’t visited Salmonier, but family who did say it is great. Here is a quote from its website description: “The layout of the Park is based on a nature walk. The animals are in large natural enclosures scattered along the park’s boardwalk trail. This allows visitors to see animals that are part of their natural surroundings and also encourages visitors to feel they are part of these surroundings. Salmonier Nature Park takes people into the landscape where the animals are displayed in settings that are as natural as possible.”

Another quote from the website: “Upgrading of the trails is continuous; as of 1998, the trail is completely boardwalk. This makes the park more accessible to families using strollers and people using wheelchairs. Planning is presently underway to have the park wheelchair “accessible” versus wheelchair “friendly” in the near future.

Aside from the 40 hectares of the park containing nature trails and animal displays, there is an additional 1415 hectares which is undeveloped. This area, which abuts the Avalon Wilderness Reserve, includes mature boreal forest, barrens, peatlands, and the headwaters of the Salmonier River. Within the park, 84 species of birds, 15 species of mammals and over 170 species of vascular plants have been recorded. The area affords splendid opportunities for field research in a well protected and managed environment.”

City of Sackville

City of Sackville

The Waterfowl Park at Sackville is a beautiful wetland with extensive boardwalks. In places, the start of the boardwalk is several inches above the path.

City of Fredericton

Snow starting to fall on the Gibson Trail

City of Fredericton
Fredericton Trail Guide
Guides to trails — City of Fredericton The Fredericton Trails Coalition

Paperback: Trails of Fredericton by Bill Thorpe, Goose Lane Editions, 1999; New/Nouveau Brunswick Backroad Mapbook by Backroad Mapbooks

The Gibson Trail is a 5.3 km flat, crusher fines-surfaced trail that “travels through urban and rural settings with secluded woodland and scenic views of the Nashwaak River.”

Odell Park Some of the 16 km of trails in the forested park are accessible or at least easy walking. We walked east from Montgomery and Smythe by the water tanks, GPS: N45° 56.974′ W66° 39.843′. This part is level and wheelchair accessible but then intersects the still easy, but steep, Main Woods Trail, which might be challenging in a wheelchair. On foot, we turned down hill till we came to path on the right to come back up and complete our loop. From the website: “The trail near the main entrance has a smooth and level crusher dust surface which makes it easily accessible to all users. As you head up into the wooded areas, the trail becomes steeper in grade and is a more difficult climb. “