MOOSE, Wyo. — Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) has partnered with Teton Adaptive (TA) to make park trails more accessible to individuals with mobility disabilities.
While much of the park’s front-country infrastructure, like visitor centers, paved walkways and bathrooms, is wheelchair-accessible as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), that level of access stops as soon as you get to the trailhead. From that point on, access is governed by the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), which “applies to facilities designed, built, altered or leased with federal funds.”
According to Joe Stone, TA’s Director of Mission, the ABA guidelines are not as strict as ADA, but the laws still aren’t being enforced.
“Part of the reason is that not a lot of people know about these laws,” Stone said. “The other part is the technology just hasn’t been there for people to access these things.” He cites the example of hiking a few miles into the backcountry on a narrow, rough trail and seeing a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said.
Now there are countless mobility devices that can get people with a wide range of disabilities into the wilderness, so it’s time for the trails to catch up.
Last summer, Stone teamed up with Quinn Brett, formerly a climbing ranger for Rocky Mountain National Park who sustained a spinal cord injury in 2017. Now working for the National Park Service (NPS) as a program analyst, Brett visits different national parks to check accessibility and bring awareness to trail crews and interpreters. When she visited GTNP in 2021, the duo tried out a half-dozen trails in the park over the course of what Stone described as a “magical week.”
This winter, Stone went to cross-country ski in the park and had a challenging time getting from the parking to the groomed trails. Afterward, he sent some emails and met with park officials, and they were quick to create a better entrance, upgraded parking and an improved access point.
“They’re so gung-ho about wanting to do better for everyone, it’s really just a pleasure to partner and work with GTNP,” Stone said. “I’m blown away by their motivation and plans for the future.”
The plan for this summer involves Stone and other adaptive hikers hitting the trails with different mobility devices, park employees, trail building crews and interpreters to identify how accessible trails are currently.
“Some trails work well now that we can direct people to, some trails require simple changes and other trails will be put on the list for future maintenance to make them work,” Stone said.
One that’s a great possibility is the eight-mile loop at Colter Bay called the Hermitage Point Trail. With a few improvements, the entire trail can be accessible to a variety of powered mobility devices.
Trail conditions
According to the ABA guidelines, technical requirements for trails include a firm and stable surface, minimum clear tread width, passing spaces, tread obstacles, openings, running slope (grade), cross slope, resting intervals, protruding objects and trailhead signs. All of this information can be measured with a High Efficiency Trail Assessment Process (HETAP) machine and then printed on a sign at the trailhead or made available online. Having hard data available would help all hikers, including individuals with disabilities, make an informed decision as to whether the trail is suited to their abilities.
“Trail signage is there for everyone to help people not get in over their heads,” Stone said. “This is more about universal design than it is accessibility. A few minor tweaks will allow it to work for everyone. It’s not an ‘adaptive’ trail.”
David Reus is the Facility Management Systems Specialist for GTNP, a role that includes being the Accessibility Coordinator. He’s been involved in national park accessibility for almost 19 years, the last eight with GTNP and with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail before that.
Reus says, “Accessible trails are good trail design for everybody.” They require less maintenance, are more sustainable and protect natural resources because they encourage people to stay on the trail. “It’s a win-win-win for trail improvements.”
A history of access
Stone says GTNP is one of the most wheelchair-friendly national parks already, and they’re motivated to make it even better in the coming years.
“I’ve spent time going to many parks as a wheelchair user, and GTNP does more than most parks,” Stone said. “They’re already doing the work, this was just taking it to another level by opening eyes to the technology that exists, bringing awareness and building on previous improvements.”
In July 2019, GTNP released the Accessibility Self-Evaluation Transition Plan (SETP) that lays out various projects to improve accessibility park-wide. The assessment took an inventory of the existing facilities, programs and barriers to access for people with disabilities, and it provided an approach to upgrading each aspect of the park experience.
Last year, the Pacific Creek project included redoing the landing with toilets, parking, pathways and making the lake accessible. This year they’re focusing on Jackson Lake Dam, putting in parking, pathways and an accessible fishing platform right below the dam.
“Increasing access for those with disabilities is definitely an NPS-wide initiative, and prior to the plan, [GTNP was] involved in making improvements to accessibility, but we were doing it more piece-meal as we had projects come up,” Reus said. “Now with the plan, one of our biggest tasks is putting it into place.”
That’s where Stone and Teton Adaptive come in. “He provides a perspective that we don’t have in the park,” Reus said. “Stone has been very proactive in reaching out to the park and establishing that relationship.”
Help from friends
Each year, GTNP receives funding from the government for specific trail projects, but additional funds will come from the Grand Teton National Park Foundation (GTNPF). This donation-based nonprofit aims to enhance the park’s resources and help others learn about and protect the park.
Stone says GTNPF will be instrumental in implementing some of these changes because they’re not restricted by bureaucratic processes. For example, the foundation will most likely purchase the HETAP machine so trail crews can efficiently and quickly gather data for signage.
“Not every national park has a foundation attached to it that helps fund all these projects,” Stone said. “That opens the door for people to visit or live here and have more opportunities. When you have a nonprofit that’s focused on creating a better experience for more people, you start having a better experience.”
Stone, Reus, TA and GTNP are in it for the long haul, slowly chipping away at trails throughout the park for the foreseeable future. Stone said TA will also step in to provide mobility equipment for those who don’t have their own when they visit the park.
“When we tell trail crews what is required, none of them say it is too much. They all say it’s easy-peasy; it will just take a little bit of time.”
