Category: Colorado local

South Suburban Parks and Recreation
South Platte Park, Littleton – This riverside park has lots to offer the disabled nature lover.
 The paved Mary Carter Greenway multi-use trail runs 8 miles along the South Platte River.  Parallel to the concrete bike trail is a crusher fines side path that is meant for pedestrians and wheelchairs.  Snow melts off the concrete sooner than from the crusher fines so winter wheelchair users might prefer the pavement although that is discouraged.   Many hard natural surface side trails within the park take you to the river’s edge and through lovely stands of trees and other streamside vegetation.   There are waterfowl, raptors, deer, coyotes and other wildlife.  Here is their website.
Park staff (303-730-1022) are very helpful and say that most of their nature programs can accommodate disabled participants.   The Colorado Center for the Blind have frequent field trips here.

Jefferson County Open Space

North Table Mountain   This popular biking spot is one place where an electric wheelchair user might find it easier than a hiker.  The flush toilets are ADA compliant, but the first .8 mile of trail is very steep.  You might get away from the traffic noise once on top, but neither the signs nor brochure give you an idea of where best to go.  ProTrails gives details of trail length and this Walk With Fred video is excellent.

Pine Valley Ranch Park

Pine Valley Ranch is highly accessible with fishing docks, a 0.6 mile wheelchair accessible trail around pretty Pine Lake and picnic shelters.  The Narrow Gauge Trail runs beside the North Fork of the South Platte River and could be managed by wheelchair if Jeffco would cut the weeds growing in the middle of the trail.

If you can hike without a walker, the very narrow, but level and easy North Fork view trail goes half a mile beyond Pine Lake to a bridge where you can come back on the Narrow Gauge Trail.  Snow and ice cover the trails in winter and early spring.  Parking lot: N39° 24.463′  W105° 20.825′.

South Table Mountain, Golden

Unfortunately the regular closing of the access road from Quaker St. to the top of the mesa renders our favorite part inaccessible for wheelchairs.

Hikers looking for an easy walk on the south side of the mesa can park in the small lot on Golden Hills Rd. a little west of Quaker Street.  GPS: N39° 44.844′  W105° 11.031′  Walk north a short way and then take the narrow path to the east which goes to the dirt road.  Staying on the road would take you to the State Patrol training area and some NREL property, but first you reach a wide, crusher fine-based  foot and bicycle trail .  This has the same panoramic views as North Table Mt., but without the traffic noise and fumes.  You are likely to see deer and hear coyotes and meadow larks, but be watchful for rattlesnakes.  It is a great place for sunsets.  Addendum Sept, 2013: Jeffco Open Space is creating 3 miles of accessible trails on South Table Mt.  Once it is done, I will change this entry.

Lair O’ The Bear is a small, lovely park by Bear Creek.  There is a little noise from Highway 74, but it is pretty quiet in the middle of the week.  The park has accessible toilets, picnic tables, and a fishing deck.  The pretty Creekside Trail and part of the Bear Creek Trail are wheelchair accessible and easy walking.  Dipper Bridge is now closed because of flood damage.    The normally easy Bear Creek Trail going west from Dipper Bridge is often icy in winter.   There is a new accessible fishing platform near Ouzel Bridge.
Here is a description with photos by Deb Stanley from Examiner.com

Denver Mountain Parks  and another smaller website on Denver Mountain Parks.

Chief Hosa Braille Nature Trail  is within Denver’s Genesee Park.  Take I-70 west to exit 153 “Chief Hosa”.  At the off-ramp stop sign, turn north, then turn right on to a dirt road -Stapleton Drive. Follow Stapleton Drive about 1 mile to the trailhead for the Braille Nature Trail.  The trail has a vinyl-coated cable for guiding visually-impaired people. Metal interpretive signs along the trail in Braille and printed words explain the surrounding ecology.  The signs are great, but some scumbag(s) have shot up some of them.  The trail is about a third of a mile through forest and is not wheelchair accessible.

The alpine trail between Summit Lake and the Chicago Lakes Overlook has just recently been redone to be wheelchair accessible.  Summit Lake is about 12,800′ above sea level.   The air is thin, temperatures are likely to be chilly, and it can snow anytime of year.  It is also beautiful!  GPS at parking lot: N39° 35.904  W105° 38.430.

Echo Lake is another Denver Mountain Park.  GPS for eastern (uphill) end: N39° 39.382 W105° 35.820.  GPS for western (downhill) end: N39° 39.617  W105° 36.281.    Although not signed as wheelchair accessible, the short trail between the Lodge and Echo Lake is a gentle downhill trip on crusher fines that takes you through the englemann spruce forest to the lake.  There is parking at both ends of the trail, so someone could be dropped off at the top and join their group at the lake.  It is not a loop trail.

Boulder Open Space The city of Boulder has a great web page devoted to accessible trails.  There is also an amazing online book with detailed descriptions of  Accessible Trails & Natural Sites in the Boulder area.   The floods of 2013 severely damaged many of the trails.  Check with Boulder Open Space for trail conditions.

Marshall Mesa Trail   Boulder describes this trail as “appropriate for wheelchair users who are looking for an extra challenge”.  I should say so.  I watched a boy of about 10 who was having difficulty bicycling up the short rough stretch that is about 13% grade.

Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat.