Advocates hope to better document trails for disabled people

Dec. 19—Hiking and tourism advocates are working to compile information people with disabilities need when choosing a hiking trail on the North Coast.

Trailkeepers of Oregon, a Portland-based nonprofit, manages the online hiking resource, Oregon Hikers.

Natalie Ferraro, the nonprofit's engagement manager, said that after a desire to update the website with information on accessibility, the nonprofit began surveying some of the site's most popular trails to collect information that could be added to the descriptions of the hikes.

Among the trails, two are located on North Coast — Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain and Clatsop Loop at Tillamook Head.

"There's such a wide spectrum of abilities of trail users," Ferraro said. "It's more about giving them that information that hasn't really been prioritized in communications yet so they can decide what adventures are a good fit for them or not."

She said the Oregon Coast Visitors Association was a partner on the pilot project and volunteered to survey the North Coast trails.

For destination management organizations like the visitors association, accessibility has become increasingly more of a focus.

Ferraro said Trailkeepers of Oregon is pausing through the winter as the group decides how to proceed.

"There's a lot of people doing this kind of work and gathering this data, and our best role that we can play, within our capacity, is to kind of just leverage that Oregon Hikers site as a place to be a clearinghouse for that data as it's gathered," she said.

Karen Olson, of the visitors association and the manager of the North Coast Tourism Management Network, said accessibility and removing barriers that prevent people from being able to safely and comfortably visit the coast is a long-term priority.

"A lot of entities are working on this from their own angles. So, it was just perfect timing and perfect synergy," she said of the work with Trailkeepers of Oregon.

Olson said it was critical to consult with people who have lived experience with disabilities. The groups received training through Portland-based Access Recreation, she said, which taught them how to survey trails and collect data people need to decide what hike is right for them.

"What we learned from working with Access Recreation is that what a disabled hiker needs is information," Olson said. "They don't need to be told this trail is or is not accessible. They need to be told, 'Here is what this trail is like in detail,' so they can make their own assessment about whether it's a good fit for them and their abilities."

She said people who may not have a lot of experience with accessibility may immediately think of wheelchair access.

"But it's so much more than that," she said, adding that it starts in the parking lot.

Some people need to know if there is a parking spot that can accommodate a ramp and if there is a navigable path to the trailhead, bathroom and picnic area, she said.

Others need to know the grade and slope of the area and whether there are steep drop-offs. Some need to know if there is drinking water and if the trails are shaded or exposed to the sun.

Olson said the visitors association wants to support the next phase of information gathering at other trails.

She also hopes to use the new knowledge to improve accessibly on other parts of the coast, such as improving beach access for people with mobility issues.

Olson said the visitors association is working with a coastwide cohort that meets every couple of months to discuss projects related to accessibility and tourism more broadly.

Organizations, including the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia River Maritime Museum, have applied for grant funding to address accessibility.

Olson said the visitors association has supported partners in applying for grant funding to hire professional accessibility evaluators to look at some hotels, restaurants and attractions and give guidance on improvements.

If grant funding is approved, she hopes the work will begin in the new year.

"Disability is a community that every human being will join at some point in their life," Olson said. "Whatever your ability level is now it will change throughout your lifetime because that's the nature of human experience.

"And so when you're designing things that are accessible, you're designing them for everybody."