A planned update to make the pedestrian trail fully accessible by December 2026.
Town/Region: South Hero, Vermont
Website: https://www.shlt.org/shrecpark
Trail Snapshot
| Length | Surface | Width |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 miles | Wooden boardwalk, crushed stone, and mowed grass | Consistently greater than 3 feet |
| Grade | Cross Slope | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Average 0.64%; max grade 8% | Negligible | Pedestrian |
| Parking & Restrooms | Trail Standards | Trail Map |
|---|---|---|
| Crushed stone/gravel in large parking lot. Port-a-potty available seasonally (late spring to fall) | Access Board Guidelines | South Hero Land Trust |
About the Trail
The South Hero Recreation Park (Rec Park) is home to a 0.5 mile trail system, a StoryWalk along the trail, a fitness station, and interactive learning stations. This public park is owned and managed by the Town of South Hero, and is highly used by students at the neighboring public K-8 school.
Status at the end of 2025: 450’ boardwalk is fully wheelchair accessible; small improvements to crushed stone trails needed; path from parking lot to boardwalk needs to be improved.
History and Why the Trail Evolved
In 2007, the Town of South Hero’s Recreation Commission partnered with Folsom School, the public K-8 school next to the park, to design the 8-acre plot. Students conducted surveys to determine which recreational opportunities community members would like available at the park. The students also worked with design experts and community volunteers to create a model of a completed park, which they presented at a town meeting.
The first phase of the Rec Park’s development was completed in 2009 by Folsom students, volunteers, and several Eagle Scouts. The 450’ wheelchair-accessible boardwalk at the beginning of the park was originally designed and built by an Eagle Scout so his brother could use the trail.
The second phase of clearing and improving the longer loop trail was completed in 2012. A fitness station was built in 2015. In 2019, South Hero Land Trust (SHLT) helped install eight interactive learning stations, and in 2021, SHLT worked with Worthen Library to install a permanent StoryWalk, featuring books for young readers.
Many of SHLT’s nature-based education programs, including afterschool clubs and summer camps, are based out of the Rec Park. SHLT uses a cleared space next to the pond as an outdoor classroom and will enhance it in the coming years to become a Watershed Learning Lab for the school and the public to enjoy.
Trail Updates in Progress
In 2024, SHLT launched the South Hero Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Advocacy Council. The group, including SHLT staff and UVM student and disability advocate Lilian Mae Olsen, participated in an audit of the Rec Park to gain a high-level snapshot of the trail’s accessibility.
Thanks to funding from VTGC’s Trail Accessibility Hub, UVTA Executive Director Russ Hirschler and Randy Richardson conducted a trail assessment with Lilian, which provides a technical set of trail construction recommendations and a scope of work, so that the trail managers could begin the process of securing funding and making updates.
In 2025, after years of patchwork maintenance that left the boardwalk only partially accessible, SHLT and community volunteers (including the parents of the Eagle Scout, who has since passed away) completely rebuilt the boardwalk.
Additional updates from the assessment are in progress and are planned to be completed by the end of 2026.
View the Completed Trail Assessment
Note: this assessment also includes recommendations for a separate trail, Island Acres, which is also in progress.
Partners
- South Hero Land Trust
- Town of South Hero
- Folsom Education and Community Center
- C.I.D.E.R.’s ramp-building team
- The Pierson Family
- South Hero Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Advisory Council
- University of Vermont’s Disabled Students Union
- Vermont Trail Accessibility Hub partners:
- Vermont Trails & Greenways Council
- Upper Valley Trails Alliance
Funding
Grant funding for the trail assessment: Vermont Trail Accessibility Hub
Grant funding from Land Trust Alliance and Disabled Hikers’ Partnership for Disability Access, Inclusion, and Leadership Program
Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ Sunshine Fund
Isle of Patmos Lodge #17 – South Hero Masonic Lodge
In-kind support from Tree House Hardwoods and Millshop
Design Highlights
- 450’ wooden wheelchair-accessible boardwalk
- ~0.4 mile crushed stone and crushed dirt trail
- StoryWalk with seasonally-rotating books
- Fitness Station
Key Learning: Build with, not for
- Involve people with disabilities in audits, planning, fundraising, and decision-making
- Compensate people for their time, insight, and expertise
- Hire consultants with lived experience of disability and trail knowledge
- Share progress early-on in the process to build momentum and awareness
See What to Expect at the Trail: Social Story
Check out: A Visit to the South Hero Recreational Trail: A Social Story for Families (.pdf) to see what to expect in advance. It was created by Audrey Homan, who produces Green Mountain Disability Stories for the UVM Center on Disability & Community Inclusion (CDCI).
