Expanding accessible recreation: Adirondack Park progress in 2024

New programs and projects work toward increasing access for people with disabilities

By David Escobar

Public and private groups made significant progress in 2024 to expand accessible recreation opportunities in the Adirondack Park.

Over the summer, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) introduced a mobility pilot program at Camp Santanoni Historic Area in Newcomb. The program allows visitors with mobility disabilities, such as Scott Remington of Brant Lake, to navigate the great camp’s backcountry roads using adaptive wheelchairs.

Remington and other disability advocates called on the state to provide alternative transportation options at the Great Camp, such as a golf cart fitted with a wheelchair ramp, to better meet the needs of visitors. This conversation is part of a broader, ongoing discussion about accessibility on state lands, which has come under scrutiny during the APA’s review of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan.

A debate about wilderness access

One proposed amendment to the master plan has proven especially contentious. It includes the addition of other power-driven mobility devices (OPDMDs), defined as any mobility device powered by batteries, fuel, or other engines…used by individuals with mobility disabilities.”

Multiple environmental groups have voiced concerns that the amendment could open the door for high-speed and gas-powered mobility devices in wilderness areas, challenging the governing principle of “forever wild.” While some disability advocates are encouraged by the state’s efforts to improve access, others believe the APA should narrow the definition of OPDMDs to strike a balance between expanding accessibility and protecting the park’s natural character.

Accessibility gains in 2024

Discussions about accessibility in the state land master plan are expected to roll into the new year, but organizations have already taken steps to address the demand for more inclusive recreation opportunities across the park.

This fall, Accessible Adirondack Tourism launched its inaugural Adirondack Nature Festival for People with Disabilities at Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC). Visitors, many of whom had physical or cognitive disabilities, strolled along the VIC’s accessible trails to participate in guided sensory walks through the forest.

Weeks later, the Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain, hosted Xperience for All, an event featuring beginner-level demonstrations of outdoor activities like paddling, fishing and birdwatching to participants. The event primarily aimed to engage people of color and newcomers to the Adirondacks, addressing barriers that have historically excluded marginalized people from outdoor recreation in the region.

One of the most significant challenges to accessibility in the park is the age of its trails — many were cut more than a century ago, decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990.

However, state and private entities are beginning to invest in accessibility. The DEC has upgraded several park campsites with wheelchair-accessible restrooms and showers and launched an interactive map in July to help visitors find accessible campsites, trails and waterway access points.

Multiple accessible trail projects are in the works, particularly in the Tri-Lakes region. The Adirondack Land Trust is finalizing funding to construct a 2.25-mile ADA-compliant trail network at the Glenview Preserve, located just north of Saranac Lake. Construction is expected to begin in 2025.

Residents are already benefiting from one of the park’s most ambitious accessible trail projects to date: the Adirondack Rail Trail. Phase 2 of the trail, completed in August, added 15 miles of stone dust and gravel pathways between Saranac Lake and Floodwood Road. DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar told the Explorer that the final phase, extending the trail another nine miles to Tupper Lake, could be completed by the end of 2025 — ahead of schedule.

David Escobar is a Report For America Corps Member. He reports on diversity issues in the Adirondacks through a partnership between North Country Public Radio and Adirondack Explorer.