Outdoor recreation opportunities that are accessible to people with disabilities and older adults are essential. In aging services, we regularly remind clients that people need to engage in activities for our mental and physical health, as well as to maintain social connections. Unfortunately, opportunities available to us can be limited by physical barriers, lack of transportation, or other factors. However, there are many positive efforts across New York to create and promote accessible recreational opportunities for all.
Chemung County Senior Games
The Chemung County Senior Games hosted by the Chemung County Department of Aging and Long Term Care exists to highlight the active life of people over the age of 50, and, according to its website, its “participants exercise regularly, and some train all year long. We work with an alliance of partners in the field of health promotion and education to encourage health through exercise, physical activity, nutrition and positive lifestyle choices.” The Department hosts opportunities for older adults to compete in a variety of events that might be inherently accessible or adaptable to those interested. Go bowling, take your best shot at cornhole, or play bocce on Chemung’s wheelchair-accessible bocce courts.
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interactive Map
The DEC has been developing accessible opportunities for some time, but in July of last year the Department launched a website with an interactive map of all wheelchair-accessible recreation opportunities. The map lets you identify destinations by type of site and region of the state. As shared by the DEC, “DEC lands and facilities offer many recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities including camping, picnicking, fishing, boating, hiking, and nature viewing. Explore the DEC Accessible Recreation Destinations Map to locate wheelchair accessible features at education centers, campgrounds and day use areas, waterway access sites, and land areas.”
ADX/Xperience for All
Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake (ADX) is a private institution that is taking the lead on promoting accessible outdoor and cultural education opportunities. Notably, its annual Xperience for All event highlights intentionally accessible outdoor activities by offering chances to try things like canoeing/kayaking, birding, campfire cooking, hiking, and more. The next Xperience for All will be on September 27, 2025.
Get Outdoors & Get Together Day
Previously two separate events, Get Outdoors & Get Together Day is hosted by multiple state agencies to connect people to nature and provide increased access to the outdoors. The event “brings together people of all abilities, ages, identities, and backgrounds for fun, healthful activities as part of the Governor’s initiative to broaden the diversity of users and ensure inclusivity of access to state public lands.” This year’s event is June 14, 2025. Learn more at the event page on the DEC website.
Adirondack Nature Festival for People with Disabilities
This event, now in its second year, is funded by Adirondack Accessible Tourism but engages many community partners to showcase what the Adirondacks have to offer people with disabilities wanting to get out into nature. The Festival this year is on August 16, 2025, and you can learn more on the festival website.
Erie Canalway Canalway Challenge Virtual Program
You can also enjoy the “outdoors” and our state’s history virtually. The Fitness Inclusion Network at SUNY Upstate’s Golisano Center for Special Needs and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor created a Virtual 1st Mile Canalway Challenge for people with “mobility challenges.” You can use this series of Peloton-style videos to exercise from home while getting to virtually cycle or paddle from Central New York into Rochester. There are 25 videos covering 25 miles of canalway, so you have lots of content to work into your home exercise routine. The videos document the physical accessibility of the canalway trail itself, should you want to consider visiting in person.
I have firsthand experience with all of these opportunities except the Senior Games and the Virtual 1st Mile, but hope to start my gym-based virtual canal cycling adventure soon. While not all of these opportunities may meet the needs or interests of every single person, I hope you take the time to explore what is available. Get outdoors and get together!