Access Recreation Here is a wonderful project in Washington and Oregon.
“Access Recreation [AR] is a Portland, Oregon ad hoc committee that has been developing uniform guidelines for minimum information that should be provided about hiking trails and outdoor recreational facilities, that would benefit hikers with disabilities. These guidelines can be applied to websites, printed materials and at trail sites. …..When put into place, these guidelines will provide the public with easy access to better information on the accessibility of recreational and hiking trails in the states of Oregon and Washington and nationwide.” Georgena Moran, founder and project coordinator, says it is a “two-year project [ends June 2016] and as for now only two trails have been trail mapped the with video accompaniment.” Article by Georgena, “Trails for Everyone”.
Category: About trail access
US Department of Transportation Federal Highway guidelines
US Dept. of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. Chapter 5 Trail Design for Access
Thoughts on rating trail difficulty
Thoughts on rating trail difficulty
International Mountain Bicycling Association’s rating system
International Mountain Bicycling Association’s rating system for trail difficulty.
Opening the Door to Nature for People with Disabilities
An excellent article by San Francisco Bay area Bonnie Lewkowicz : Opening the Door to Nature for People with Disabilities which was written in 2006 and is still relevant.
USFS Accessibility Guidebook
United States Forest Service Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails
American Trails – ADA compliance
Lots of links for how to make an area/trail accessible on the American Trails website. See their guidelines.
National Center for Accessibility
The National Center for Accessibility at Indiana University.
US Access Board
US Access Board guidelines for outdoor recreation. Scroll down to 1017 for particulars regarding Trails.