This park was ranked as the best national park for seniors and accessible travel

At 72, Roland Moore and his wife, Ann Truett, consider themselves avid travelers.

Moore said their love for experiencing different parts of the world started when he worked as an attorney for Pan Am and Eastern Airlines. With Moore's flight benefits, the couple would often take their kids on trips.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Moore retired and he and his wife live in the Florida Keys during the winter and Woodstock, Vermont, in the summer.

Aging has hardly been a hindrance to the couple's travel aspirations, saying they have even more freedom now that they're older. "We're not restricted to our kids having to go back to school," Truett told USA TODAY.

A favored trip of theirs, with or without their adult children, is to visit national parks across the country – all you need to navigate most parks is a car and many trails are well-maintained, Moore said. From Yosemite to the Grand Canyon, Moore and his wife love taking in the grandeur of nature. Some highlights include the iconic Steamboat Geyser at Yellowstone and the snowcapped mountains at Mount Rainier, he said.

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During these trips, the couple also enjoys visiting charming national park gateway towns. Having lived in New York City for his job, Moore said, "You always want to get out of the city. It's natural to want to go into the country and meet people who live a very different life than in Manhattan."

National parks appeal to many seniors, especially after the efforts of the National Parks Service over the last decade to make parks more accessible.

Accessibility at national parks

People who are 65 years or older are four times as likely to use a wheelchair, according to an article in the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, so wheelchair-friendly trails and facilities can make a big difference to seniors.

"The National Park Service is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have equal opportunity to benefit from our facilities, programs, services, and activities, whether they are indoors or outdoors," Kathy Kupper, public affairs specialist at the park service, told USA TODAY in an email.

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"Most NPS facilities, especially at highly visited parks, have accessible features that make it easier for those with mobility disabilities to get from parking lots to major sites such as visitor centers and overlooks," she added. "Often, the most popular trails near visitor centers or highly developed areas of the park will have accessibility features as well."

In 2020, the park service concluded a five-year strategic plan aimed at making its parks more accessible, like removing barriers in historic buildings, redesigning ramps and bathrooms, and rehabilitating trails to be wider. As part of the plan, the park service also launched a Disability History Series related to the parks.

Each park and park service region also employ accessibility coordinators who work with disability organizations and other experts to ensure the parks can be enjoyed by everyone.

What are the most accessible national parks?

Located in rugged South Dakota, Badlands National Park is considered to be one of the most accessible national parks for seniors and people with mobility issues, according to a recent study by AgingInPlace.org, an online resource for aging people. The platform looked at all national parks to see which have the highest proportion of wheelchair-friendly maintained trails via AllTrails and restaurants via TripAdvisor.

Badlands has the highest percentage of wheelchair-friendly trails, some of which are paved, including the Fossil Exhibit Trail, Window Trail, and the first section of the Door and Cliff Shelf Trails.

According to the park service website for Badlands, the dining room at the Cedar Pass Lodge is also recognized to be fully accessible with ramps and wide doors and aisles. For those who prefer to be outside, the Bigfoot Pass Picnic Area and two campsites at Cedar Pass Campground are other wheelchair-friendly areas.

Other national parks with a notable amount of accessible, maintained trails include:

• Indiana Dunes National Park

• Hot Springs National Park

The study found parks with the most wheelchair-friendly restaurants in the surrounding area are Grand Canyon National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Moore and Truett love exploring the Grand Canyon from the comfort of their vehicle and stopping at scenic lookouts, given they both had operations that make it difficult to hike very far.

On the other hand, the study found the least accessible park to be Pinnacles National Park, located near San Jose, California. Beloved by cave explorers, hikers and rock climbers, Pinnacles is best explored by foot, and many of its trails are steep and rugged. Unfortunately, there's no way to drive from one end of the park to the other. The study also found most restaurants around the park to not be wheelchair-friendly either.

People can always check the park service website to learn about accessibility updates for the different parks.

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Grab your senior or access pass to make travel easier

A special pass is available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are over the age of 62, which the Moores said makes visiting national parks an easy and "affordable" vacation choice.

► The America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass allows visits to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites, including agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service, without paying entrance fees and amenity standard fees. There are other perks too, like discounts and free entry for travel companions. (Although only 108 of the over 400 national parks charge an entrance fee.)

The pass goes for $20 a year or $80 for a lifetime, and you can exchange annual passes for a lifetime pass. They can be purchased in person at certain locations, via phone at 888-275-8747 or online.

► Another pass offered by NPS is the Access Pass, which is available for U.S. citizens or permanent residents of any age with permanent disabilities that "limit one or more major life activities." Like the Senior Pass, the Access Pass provides entry to over 2,000 recreation sites managed by federal agencies and other discounts on amenities such as guided tours. The lifetime pass can be picked up for free in person or via mail or online with a $10 processing fee.

When asked if they'll continue to visit national parks as they continue to age, Moore said, "Without a doubt."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best national parks for senior citizens: senior pass, accessibility