TerrainHopper Adaptive Hiking
Red Rock Canyon
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New Trail Gates at Red Rock Canyon

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New gates have been installed at Middle and South Oak Creek Trails, and at First Creek Trail. These gates were installed at our request to provide access for individuals with disabilities who use specialized trail-model mobility devices, such as our TerrainHoppers, on these rugged trails. Here is what the beautiful, but very rocky, South Oak Creek Trail is like for someone using a handcycle:

Group Events

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Adaptive hiking and butterflies at Springs Preserve
A beautiful day at Springs Preserve for our butterflies event.
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TerrainHopper hiking on the Sawmill Loop Trail, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
Springs Preserve, 40 participants with 16 people using wheelchairs
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Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
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Wetlands Park, Clark County, Nevada
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​Historic Railroad Trail, Lake Mead

What is Adaptive Hiking?

Adaptive hiking is the enjoyment of trails by people with disabilities through improvising techniques.  Techniques include personal assistance and/or adaptive equipment such as manual wheelchairs, powerchairs, handcycles, rollators, walkers, canes, crutches, or white canes--whatever works best for us individually to enjoy being outdoors on a trail.  That's what Trail Access Project is all about.

Adaptive Hiking Trails

Adaptive hiking trails are any hiking trails that have characteristics that allow individuals with a physical disability to enjoy them. These characteristics relate to grade, cross slope  (sideways inclination of the surface), surface firmness, and any obstacles, such as rocks, roots, or steps. Adaptive hiking trails may be natural-surface pedestrian paths, multi-use greenways, paved bike paths, remote backcountry trails, or what are typically called "wheelchair accessible trails".

In our Adaptive Hiking Trails project we want to provide trail characteristics related to accessibility so that you can decide for yourself whether a trail is suitable for your personal strengths, interests, and safety. We especially want to find backcountry trails, those that take us further away from the crowds.
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Accessibility of a trail is very personal because each of us have different strengths and adaptive equipment. We don't rely on terms like "accessible", "ADA", or "Wheelchair accessible" trail because what is accessible to you may not be accessible to me. For example, the video above shows that there are many kinds of wheelchairs, some built especially to more rugged trails.

Our Recent Sponsors

Trail Access Project would like to thank the following organizations who have recently helped us provide access to nature for individuals with disabilities through grants and other awards:

Christopher and Dana Reve Foundation
Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
REI Cooperative Action fund
Hoppers for Heros
Conservation Lands Foundation
National Environmental Education Foundation