"For every walk in nature, one receives far more than one seeks."
-- naturalist John Muir

Spending time in nature is an essential, even spiritual, part of life for many people.

		Related article What's accessible around here

For those who use wheelchairs, getting around in the great outdoors is not so easy. Unlike the built environment, nature is not easily adapted for wheelchair access.

I feel this limitation when considering how our 10-year-old son, Mark, a wheelchair user, might join in some outdoor excursions. His wheelchair is designed for level surfaces, not uneven terrain, so we don't take family hikes at favorite sites like the legendary "cathedral" of hemlocks in Cook Forest State Park or gorgeous Linn Run near Ligonier. Not being able to share these gems of nature with our son is disappointing, to say the least.

Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, most parks now provide wheelchair access to restrooms, picnic and camping areas, boat ramps, beaches and fishing piers. However, hiking trails in most parks are generally inaccessible. A few parks offer newly built accessible trails, but the nature experience can be less satisfying on these than on a regular hiking trail.

Some wheelchair-using friends are more adventurous than we are in regard to regular hiking trails. One of them, Paul, has wheeled his power chair over trails of varying difficulty in Frick Park with his young son. Another friend, Al, has hiked through many state parks with his pre-teen, James, who drives a wheelchair. These brave souls face the potential difficulties (getting stuck, having to turn back) in exchange for the rewards.

Creating wheelchair access on hiking trails is a complex challenge. According to the National Center on Accessibility, an agency that provides education and technical assistance to parks, any new construction -- including trails -- must be accessible.

"The goal is to develop an accessible trail that maintains the quality of the experience," explained Bob Peppel, retired manager of Chapman State Park, near Allegheny National Forest in Warren County. During his 30-year tenure at the park, Peppel, who has cerebral palsy, was active in increasing disability awareness within the state park system. "Topography plays a huge role. You can make changes, but if you do too much, you change the reason that you want to use the trail in the first place."

The challenge of increasing access to trails is well understood by Susan Ostby, accessibility specialist with the NCA. "There are thousands, if not millions, of miles of trails that are already built. It's not a clean slate. Making changes is costly. Trail drainage is often an issue because it has a large effect on trail stability. If it wasn't done right the first time, it's not easy to fix."

Surface is the key component of an accessible trail. It must not give way under foot and it cannot shift. The recommended material is crushed limestone, properly compacted. Because this material erodes easily, it requires regular maintenance.

Despite the challenges, Ostby and others have noted positive attitudes among park professionals. Increasingly, park managers are better educated about their responsibilities under the ADA and actively consider access when planning new projects.

But Ostby detects a tendency among some park managers to regard trail access as a legal obligation to be met rather than a perceptive way of thinking about how people use parks. "Some say, 'OK, we have our accessible trail' and stop there. But if there are four trails in a park and each provides a different opportunity, they should consider how some people may be missing out."

Any trail maintenance is an opportunity to increase accessibility, added Ostby. "When you remove a tree that has fallen across a trail, it's good practice, but it also improves access for many people."

Park accessibility experts make a couple of other points about their work. One is that access to parks does not mean just physical access, although that's what people usually think. Attention to the needs of visitors with visual disabilities, such as providing Braille and audio materials, is much neglected.

Second, it's important for park users to provide feedback about the effectiveness of access features or lack thereof. One of the most commonly heard complaints among park officials is that an accessible feature has been added to a park, but is not used. If you are enjoying a park more because of attention to access, be sure to let the staff know.