Category: Best Accessible Places

The Best Day Ever documentary follows adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they tackle the daily challenges of disability—and find joy, connection, and belonging in Vermont’s mountain biking community.

Set in the Green Mountains, this is a story of grit, independence, and what’s possible when community and creativity come together. At its heart is the world’s first fully adaptive trail network—built to prove that everyone belongs outside.

Visually stunning and emotionally powerful, Best Day Ever challenges perceptions of disability and celebrates community.

They’re raising funds to expand adaptive trails and equipment access—because for a wheelchair user, a mountain bike isn’t just fun. It’s freedom.

Check out the video and full story – https://www.bestdayever.mov/?blm_aid=2582740493

It is with great eagerness and excitement that we can now count the Accessible Nature Trail at Pemberton Lake as a well-awaited accomplishment for the fight to make outdoor spaces more accessible for individuals of varying abilities. On Friday, October 10th we unveiled the Pemberton Lake Accessible nature trail. This 0.7-mile trail encourages visitors of all abilities and especially those with mobility concerns to explore the forest and lake habitats that the out-and-back trail traverses.

Check out the full article from the Pine Barrens Tribune – https://www.pinebarrenstribune.com/articles/featured-stories/newly-blazed-trail-gives-those-with-mobility-issues-access-to-natures-realm-alongside-pemberton-lake/

The Passaic County Highlands Rail Trail is a proposed contiguous recreational trail that will provide a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly pathway through the adaptive reuse of the former New York & Greenwood Lake Railway right-of-way in the Highlands communities of northern Passaic County.

The project will offer pedestrians and cyclists an alternative route to access local businesses and recreational areas along the constrained Ringwood Avenue/ Greenwood Lake Turnpike corridor. Additionally, it will make use of interpretative elements to help bring local history alive for residents and visitors alike. The availability of alternative forms of transportation and the preservation of area history are goals of paramount importance to Passaic County.

The final Highlands Rail Trail Feasibility Study outlines the vision for this passive recreational trail that will guide future trail development. The final report was developed during the Spring and Summer of 2017 through a series of public meetings and refinement of trail concepts with planning and engineering staff.

On Oct. 1, Passaic County and NJDOT officials opened the Highlands Rail Trail, a paved 2-mile multi-use path, converted from a stretch of disused New York & Greenwood Lake Railway tracks.

The second online town hall focused on improving access to the Pinelands for people with disabilities.
Despite being the most crowded state in the nation, New Jersey has a large amount of open space, including the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve. The forests, streams and ponds found here are an important resource for residents in the region.

Unfortunately, access to the vast natural areas found in the New Jersey Pinelands can be difficult if not impossible for people with physical or other disabilities. Visiting natural places can be uncomfortable, unsafe or impossible. Barriers may include a limited number of accessible sites or a lack of comprehensive and reliable information of the accessible sites that do exist.
PPA wants to help overcome these barriers so everyone can enjoy the benefits of time in nature and visit the parks, forests and preserves which our state and communities have protected.

Check out this video and hear from advocates on the need for accessible nature sites and the criteria needed for creating and promoting these areas to the public. In this video, volunteers are evaluating the Blue Trail at Evesham Townships Black Run Preserve for accessibility for all persons.

The inaugural zoom meeting provided a tutorial of the www.AccessNatureNJ.org website. We covered use of the mobile website, how to personally update information and we took feedback for improvements. More information about this project can be found at www.pinelandsalliance.org/the-pinelands-is-for-everyone/access-nature-forum/