"Trail is ACCESSIBLE to the first overlook"

Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge

Mississippi

May 2019

There is an art to selecting trails to pushike with Kellisa and I like to think that we've gotten pretty good from so many years of experience. We've traveled long and hard only to find accessible trails, well not so accessible. We've also stumbled upon trails with no indication of accessibility and they've been beautiful to push Kellisa on. 

We like to read as many trail reports as possible looking for key words (mud, stairs, rocks, climbs, etc.) that may tip us off to research another trail. If we are confident after reports, we then carefully study pictures looking for barriers. If all checks out, we have a good success rate. We are writing the first book on pushiking to help others navigate through the process of selecting and then pushiking trails. 

The trail we selected in Mississippi had a short section at the beginning that was accessible. Because there is so much information about accessible trails as many are paved, we're not going to feature too many miles of accessible trails in the book. The trail in Mississippi went beyond the accessible portion to complete a loop. 

Little did we know that the accessible part of the trail would have a barrier almost immediately. Now we could easily navigate the obstacles and I would guess most people pushing a jog stroller or off-road mobility chair could as well, I have serious doubts that most people wheeling themselves could complete the "accessible" section of this trail. Lastly, I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure motorized wheelchairs would have no chance on the navigating the platform section at the beginning of this trail. While I'm thankful Kellisa and I were able to complete the loop, I can't help but think about those who might travel to this trail only to be turned around before really even getting started. 

Settlers Grove of Ancient Cedars

Idaho Panhandle National Forests

Idaho
June 2018

** 2023 Update **

The trail is no longer considered ADA Accessible

I'm beginning to think the state of Idaho has a different definition of "accessible" when they use it to describe trails as you can see by the picture to the right. For the second day in a row, Kellisa and I drove a great distance to hike a trail that by all accounts is accessible. 

The trail started out as a wide, hard packed surface mostly flat through a dense forest, but the ground quickly included mud, rocks, roots, and narrow sections. The trail crossed a creek several times with nicely built bridges, but then there was a crossing of large rocks piled across the creek. I'm not sure if the bridge got washed out or burned in recent fires, but even if you could use a standard wheelchair on this trail, I can't imagine a wheelchair making it across this rock bridge. 

We've been on many accessible trails and far too often, I would describe the trail as "mostly" accessible. For whatever reason(s), there is usually at least one obstacle that would make it difficult at the very least or even dangerous or impossible for a real wheelchair. It's sad because this is a beautiful trail in a remote area to observe ancient cedar trees deep in a black and grizzly bear wilderness. Thankfully, we had Kellisa's Hippocampe trail chair and were able to fully enjoy the trail instead of being turned around prematurely.

TRAILS

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Dave Moore Nature Trail

Dave Moore Nature Area

March 2018

This trail has been on my radar for at least a year when I first read that it was at least partially accessible. It's a 1.1 mile loop trail with the first half being accessible down to a beach area along the South Fork of the American River. The trailhead is only 33-miles from our house. Kellisa and I have been desperate to hit a trail, especially after driving to a different trail yesterday, only to find the park closed due to a special event.

The nature area and trail is named after a Ranger Conservationist for the Bureau of Land Management who was diagnosed with MS at 35-years-old and forced into an early retirement due to his disability. The trail was dedicated on June 4, 1994. We were hoping to be able to pushike the entire loop, but quickly found the accessible trail to be far from what we expect when out on an accessible trail (pictures below).

Sassafras Mountain

Kellisa's 19th State Highpoint

Sassafras Mountain, SC

3,560ft.

Elevation Gain: 50ft.

June 2011

Guidebooks and online trip reports all agree, Sassafras Mountain is wheelchair accessible. The path is nice and wide,  but a little steep and rough. I would agree that the trail is wheelchair accessible, especially with help if it weren't for one little fact. When we visited Sassafras Mountain, we found a gate completely spanning the trail and beyond. Wheelchairs don't tip easily because they have anti-tip bars. The bars can be removed, but I doubt a wheelchair could be tipped enough to make it under the gate. The only option besides settling for "close" would be to lay the disabled person on the ground and lifting the wheelchair over the gate (probably a 2 person job, maybe more for a power chair). Then you would have to drag the person on the ground under the gate, lift them back into the chair. All before even staring the short ascent. This would have to be repeated on the return hike. Trust me and not the reports written by the able bodied trip reporters, this is NOT a wheelchair accessible trail, although it can be done with the right help and planning.

Luckily for us, we had Kellisa's "off-road" disability stroller and I was able to tip it back enough to pass under the gate:

Summit pictures:

Back at the parking lot, a beautiful view awaits at the end of a short walk:

I can't help but wonder how many people make the drive to the trailhead parking lot and walk to the overlook and believe they reached the summit of South Carolina? The path to the summit is not marked and without a guidebook, this could be an easy mistake.