Wheelchair access to the wilderness in Vermont

Something that many of us may not think about while we’re bouncily traipsing through a forest, or languidly traversing a riverside creek, is that for those of us in wheelchairs this is an activity that is off-limits.

This summer a number of National Parks in the United States are taking into account that disabled citizens have the right to enjoy the bountiful sanctity of nature like anyone else. This has prompted some parks to construct special trails through forests that allow those in wheelchairs to comfortably cruise through the foliage.

The Green Mountains National Park in Vermont has opened the state’s third wheelchair-accessible trail this summer, along with participating in the National Park Service’s program to offer online information about which trails, museums or camp sites are easily reachable for the physically disabled.

Spokesman for the agency Gary Gaumer explains, “The objective is to put all the information on one Web site, where people can access not only trails but also other programs that are accessible. Most national parks have some accessible facilities, but the information has never been compiled in one place before.”