There’s still a lot of nice weather ahead of us and if you are someone like me who likes to enjoy the little beautiful things mother nature has to offer, then you are in for a sunny treat!
On July 10th, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced a new easy-to-use map of accessible recreation features and the completion of more than $5 million in recreation upgrades. New Yorkers with disabilities now have access to 266 destinations across the state that are consistent with the federal accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). The destinations include 58 locations with accessible fishing facilities, 84 locations with accessible boating facilities, 10 locations with an accessible beach access route, 44 locations with accessible camping facilities, 47 locations with accessible picnic facilities, and 50 locations with accessible hiking trails, including multi-use trails, wildlife viewing platforms and green infrastructure features.
“DEC welcomes outdoor adventurers of all ages and abilities to visit New York’s world-class State lands and is committed to expanding accessible outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the state,” said Sean Mahar, DEC Interim Commissioner. “With easy-to-use enhanced mapping features and ongoing accessibility infrastructure improvements, DEC is working hard to ensure everyone can find and enjoy the abundant recreational opportunities and facilities in communities across New York State.”
Many of these outdoor recreational opportunities are supposed to be wheelchair accessible. However, as a wheelchair user who adventured to some of the sites, I encountered some red flags for inaccessibility.
The Hylan Beavers Memorial Trail right off the Meadow Road Parking Area at Kings Park Unique Area is a 0.3-mile-long firm crushed tone surface with blue and yellow markers indicating the start and end points of the beautifully green tree pathway. This trail would have been fully wheelchair accessible if it weren’t for the fallen trees and large logs blocking the route. I was only able to drive my chair for 300 feet after the parking area.
All listed accessible New York City land areas are in Staten Island and only two out of four–Mount Loretto Unique Area and St. Francis Woodlands–are fully accessible. Both have firm surface boardwalks and crushed stone trails to viewing platforms—great for pictures of the lake, vegetation, and tree scenery. The third, Old Place Creek Tidal Wetland, does not have a clear accessible entrance, and the fourth, Lemon Creek Tidal Wetlands, does have a viewing area, but due to large rocks and growing tree trunks on the ground, the path to get to the tiny platform is not wheelchair-friendly.
Of the 107 accessible campground and day use areas across the state, campsite 28 at Kenneth L. Wilson is closed due to it being selected for the campsite restoration project this summer. The DEC told Able News that the campsite will plant native species from DEC’s Saratoga Nursery to replenish the loss of vegetation, and the surface fireplace and picnic table will be reevaluated, addressed and restored to accessibility standards. The DEC said that when accessible campsites are removed from the inventory, a replacement site is designated, if possible. That temporary site and timeline remains unclear.
Even so, the DEC is continuing to expand accessibility efforts. As part of this, the DEC targeted Camp Santanoni Historic Area in Newcomb, Essex County to promote their new Mobility Device Reservation Pilot Program. Qualified individuals with disabilities can reserve and use an electrically powered wheelchair device free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis to stroll the 9.5 miles round trip. The pilot program will run on alternating weekends, as well as holiday Mondays.
“Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) supports creating increased accessibility to Camp Santanoni within the Adirondack Forest Preserve regulations,” said Erin Tobin, Adirondack Architectural Heritage Executive Director. “We are glad to see that DEC has committed these resources towards that outcome and believe that this new access is a piece of the larger accessibility solution.”
On the DEC’s website, the Adirondack Rail Trail is still listed as an ongoing project under the Adirondack Park Agency with no clear completion date and few accessibility features. However, in an email response to Able News, the DEC confirmed that Phase 1 is now open to public use on the entire length from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake. Phase 2 construction is ongoing; as of April 1 this section is closed from Saranac Lake to Floodwood Road in Santa Clara. Accessible features will include an accessible grade along the duration of the trail and accessible access points along the trail, such as sloped sidewalks at intersections in villages and towns. In addition, the surface of the trail will be hard-packed stone dust throughout, except for the paved portion through the village of Saranac Lake. Phase 3 of construction will begin in summer 2024, closing off Floodwood Road in Santa Clara to the Washington Street Parking lot in the Village of Tupper Lake.
With more opportunities for accessible adventures across New York, where will you go this summer?