Trail Accessibility Hub
There are plenty of ways to design and maintain trails to make them more inviting to people with a wide range of physical abilities. That’s why we are partnering with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Upper Valley Trails Alliance, Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Community Geographics (the organization that maintains Trail Finder), and local trail users to address the challenges people face when seeking to build or use accessible trails in Vermont.
We’re pleased to announce that we have been awarded a $644,000 grant from the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) Community Grant Program (CGP) to improve accessibility on public trails in Vermont. The project, co-led by our five partner organizations, takes place between June 1, 2024 and December 2025, concluding with a final set of recommendations to the the State of Vermont on how to continue the work.
WHO WE ARE
Understand what the Trail Accessibility Hub is and the trail organizations dedicated to increasing outdoor access for all.
What We Do
Developing resources, increasing professional capacity, and providing hands-on assessments to expand trail access for people of all abilities.
Getting Started
Explore the Trail Accessibility Hub and the resources for designing, building, and adapting existing trails for every body.
Trails for Everyone
Vermont is known for thousands of miles of trails through diverse and beautiful landscapes, but people with disabilities can’t access the same quantity or quality of recreation assets able-bodied people enjoy.
According to a 2021 CDC survey, nearly a quarter of Vermonters have a disability, including 10% with mobility-specific disabilities. Yet only 1% of the state’s 7,750+ miles of trails are listed as “accessible” by Trail Finder and less than 100 miles of more than 1,000 public mountain bike trail miles have been assessed for adaptive mountain bike (aMTB) use.
Fortunately, we can do something about it.
Making Trails More Accessible to All: Stories from the Field
South Hero Land Trust Launches Accessibility Advisory Council and Outdoor Recreation Audit
South Hero
If you are a person living with a disability and want to enjoy the outdoors, it is not easy to find your adventure. Trail descriptions can be nonexistent, filled with platitudes (“beautiful view!”) or limited to subjective statements such as “easy” or “accessible”. Everyone – especially people who have unstable footing or use mobility devices…
Norwich Nature Area Adds Accessible Trails to its Trail Network
Upgrades to existing trails allow for every student at the Marion Cross School to access outdoor classrooms.
Norwich, VT
Upgrades to existing trails allow for every student at the Marion Cross School to access outdoor classrooms.
North Branch Nature Center adds an Accessible Trail
An accessible trail built as part of the Nature Connection Trail
Montpelier, VT
In 2023, Montpelier’s North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier added an accessible trail to its trail network. The accessible trail is one piece of The Nature Connection Trail, funded by private donors, The Montpelier Foundation, The Vermont Arts Council, the State of Vermont’s Building Communities grant program, and Outdoor Gear Exchange and FPR’s Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant. The trail…
Bluffside Farm Recreation Trail Opens to the Public with a One-Mile ADA Trail
An accessible trail for everyone
Newport, VT
Bluffside Farm, located on Lake Memphremagog in Newport, is a 129-acre farm reimagined by the community. Purchased in 2015 by the Vermont Land Trust (VLT), the farm has been open to the public for recreation, wetland restoration, community gardening, and used as a natural classroom ever since. One of the largest undeveloped properties in Newport,…
Saxon Hill aMTB Trail Upgrades
Saxon Hill now has over 3 miles of adaptive accessible trails
Essex, VT
Saxon Hill is one of Chittenden County’s most used mountain bike trail networks, managed by Fellowship of The Wheel, one of Vermont Mountain Bike Association’s 28 Chapters. Vermont Mountain Bike Association, in partnership with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports and Kelly Brush Foundation, assessed over 3 miles of trails. Fellowship of The Wheel spent the…
Hubbard Park Universally Accessible Trail
Creating a Universally Accessible Trail for All
Montpelier, Vermont
In 2023, a half-mile universally accessible trail was completed in the heart of Hubbard Park, a 200-acre mostly forested public land behind the state capitol. Built by Timber & Stone of East Montpelier with the support of park staff and the Montpelier Conservation Corps, the trail meanders from the new shelter to the tower, providing…
Are you interested in an assessment or want to learn more about the Trail Accessibility Hub? Fill out the form below!
Accessibility Hub Partners
