Accessibility

 

“That is such a tricky question to answer. Each wheelchair user has a different level of confidence and ability, and needs can change significantly between a manual wheelchair and a power wheelchair.” — Ian Mackay, Executive Director of Ian’s Ride

 

Check out SEA-to-SOUND and Ian’s Recommendations

 

The Olympic Discovery Trail is and will be ADA compliant wherever possible, however:

– There are some locations where the slopes exceed recommended values, particularly where the trail descends to the level of a creek crossing

– At this time some of the trailheads do not meet all the requirements for ADA

– Over time these situations will be improved

 

Access Points

The trailheads are those locations along the trail where road access and parking are available.

EAST
Port Townsend Boat Haven
Cape George Trailhead

EAST CENTRAL
Blyn Pullout
Sequim Bay State Park
Carrie Blake Park
Railroad Bridge Park
Robin Hill Farm
Siebert Creek Trailhead – Not Recommended
Deer Park Scenic Gateway Center – Not Recommended
Morse Creek Trailhead
Port Angeles Waterfront

WEST CENTRAL
Elwha River Bridge
Spruce Railroad

WEST
Camp Creek

Ian’s Recommendations

West End: We ride all the way from the Camp Creek trailhead to the Spruce Railroad trailhead. There are some hills that could be challenging at the 4.2 and 8.5 mile mark from Camp Creek. The Spruce Railroad for the most part is great for chairs, however there is a decent hill about 1/2 a mile west of the Spruce Railroad trailhead.

Central: We ride all the way from the Elwha bridge to Carrie Blake Park. I would say a wheelchair would not have much problems going from the Elwha bridge to Morse Creek. It starts getting steep climbing up from Morse Creek and then again in various spots along the roller coaster section. I usually don’t encourage wheelchair users to travel between Morse Creek and Lewis Road without support. From Lewis Road to Carrie Blake Park is more or less great for chair users, but there is a bit of a hill at McDonald Creek that some could have challenges with.

East End: We ride from Carrie Blake Park to the east and of Old Gardner Road. We then shuttle to the Milo Curry trailhead and ride into Port Townsend. It can get a little steep with the initial climb from Carrie Blake but it’s mostly doable beyond that. In my opinion, the Larry Scott is quite pleasant for wheelchairs. There is a bit of a steep spot 1.7 miles in from Milo Curry, but most of our participants traverse it.

 

100+ Wheelchair Accessible Trails on the Olympic Peninsula (map link)