Whether you are hiking, camping, fishing, or kayaking in Pennsylvania state parks and forests, no one can deny that getting outdoors is both physically and mentally beneficial.
Data from the
Disability and Health Data System show for 28 percent of Pennsylvania’s population, getting those positive benefits of time spent outdoors can be challenging. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and partners are working to make outdoor recreation accessible to everyone, including Pennsylvanians with disabilities.
An ADA-accessible trail has features including a firm surface; not much slope; no obstacles such as stairs; and space to pass.
A number of hiking trails across the Commonwealth are accessible to people who use mobility devices, including wheelchairs. Visit the DCNR
website for additional details about site-specific amenities, including restrooms, potable water, picnic tables, benches, parking, and visitor centers.
North
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Sinnemahoning State Park
Black Moshannon State Park, Centre County - Bog Trail, 0.3-miles
Take the ADA-accessible boardwalk to explore a wetland dominated by sphagnum moss and leatherleaf and accented by sedges, rushes, carnivorous plants, and lilies. You can observe waterfowl and other wildlife along the trail. Wayside panels tell the surprising story of bogs and other park wetlands. To make the trail a loop, continue on Westside Road back to the trailhead (0.5-miles).
Sinnemahoning State Park, Cameron and Potter Counties – Lowlands Trail, 2-miles
The Lowlands Trail follows the course of the First Fork through five miles of the park, passing through open fields, shrubby riparian zones, and mature, towering forests. This scenic trail was originally part of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad bed.
From the northern trailhead, two miles of the trail are ADA-accessible, including a wildlife viewing platform. This area is ideal habitat for nesting bald eagles, elk, and white-tailed deer, among many other species.
South
Kings Gap Environmental Education Center
Buchanan State Forest, Fulton County – Chad Strait Trail, 0.3-miles
This hard-packed gravel trail surrounds the district office. Not far from the main road, this trail is surrounded by Buchanan State Forest and vast pollinator habitat.
Canoe Creek State Park, Blair County - Marsh Trail, 0.3-miles
A visitor favorite, Marsh Trail provides a scenic winding boardwalk along the lakefront, with benches and an observation blind for plenty of wildlife viewing. A 0.25-mile section of the trail is ADA-accessible.
Kings Gap Environmental Education Center, Cumberland County
Whispering Pines Trail, 0.3-miles
This paved, ADA-accessible loop trail takes hikers into the pine plantation. Self-guided signs along the way teach about the history of the pine plantation and the trees that grow there.
White Oaks Trail, 0.3-miles
This paved, ADA-accessible trail has educational signs about the ecology of the forest.
Little Buffalo State Park, Perry County - Blue Ball Trail, 0.25-miles
This ADA-accessible, paved out-and-back path connects the historic Blue Ball Tavern to the Covered Bridge Trail and East Day Use Area. Follow the trail over a bridge, along the stream, and through a patch of old ash trees that are beloved by the park’s woodpeckers.
East
French Creek State Park
French Creek State Park, Berks County
Hopewell Big Woods Trail (Northern Section), 1.5-miles
This gravel, ADA-accessible out-and-back trail provides scenic views of Birdsboro and excellent bird habitat.
Hopewell Big Woods Trail (Southern Section), 0.7-miles
This gravel, ADA-accessible out-and-back trail provides access to Hopewell Furnace Historic Site.
Tyler State Park, Bucks County
This ADA-accessible, out-and-back paved trail is mostly flat and open, offering views of warm season grasses and agricultural fields.
No. 1 Lane Trail, 1.2-miles
This paved trail starts at the No. 1 Lane Parking Lot, is ADA-accessible for 0.8 miles, and ends at Betz Hill Trail. It passes along open farm fields, warm season grasses, and woodlands.
This paved, ADA-accessible trail is a short connector between the Lower Plantation Picnic Area and Tyler Drive Trail. It is relatively flat and shady.
Woodfield Trail, 0.5-miles
The paved, ADA-accessible trail winds through old growth forests above the Neshaminy Creek and around a meadow habitat restoration area.
West
Cook Forest State Park
Cook Forest State Park, Clarion County - Sensory Trail, 0.25-miles
The Cook Forest Sensory Trail is an ADA-accessible paved loop that is accessible to people with low or limited vision and features braille/raised letter signage, a guide cable, sturdy benches, and a picnic area at the trailhead.
The trail loops through a mature hardwood forest and features signs that point out new ways of experiencing nature, such as listening for bird calls or touching the bark of trees to identify them. A flexible railing allows visitors to find where the trail leads.
Forbes State Forest, Westmoreland County – Spruce Flats Bog Trail, 0.29-miles
Spruce Flats Bog is a rare high-elevation, 28-acre bog, formed in a mountaintop depression 2,720 feet above sea level. The ADA-accessible Spruce Flats Bog Trail has an observation platform at the end which reaches out into the bog to get a close look at plant life (including insect-eating plants) and an unusual tree line caused by strong winds that sweep in from west to east.
Keystone State Park, Westmoreland County – Lakeside Loop Trail, 2-miles
This ADA-accessible, flat trail circles Keystone Lake and offers views through various ecosystems. These ecosystems are perfect for wildlife enthusiasts looking to spot birds, fish, reptiles, pollinating insects, and more. Be sure to stop at the causeway at dusk for breathtaking sunset views, or at the dam at dawn for an amazing sunrise.
Ohiopyle State Park, Fayette County – Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), 27-miles
Twenty-seven miles of the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage are within Ohiopyle State Park. The flat, crushed limestone trail was once the railbed for the Western Maryland Railroad. This trail is suitable for all ages and is ADA-accessible. The trail is excellent for hiking, jogging, biking, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and strollers.
Presque Isle State Park, Erie County - Karl Boyes Multi-Purpose National Recreation Trail, 13.5-miles
The Multi-Purpose Trail and extension makes a 13.5-mile circuit in the park. This paved trail is designated as a National Recreation Trail. This ADA-accessible trail is popular with bicyclists, in-line skaters, and joggers.
Plan your visit to
Presque Isle State Park.
Almost all Pennsylvania state parks and forests offer some form of accessible recreation, including places to fish, camp, hike, kayak, or access wildlife viewing areas and scenic overlooks. Visit
dcnr.pa.gov to plan your next adventure.
West Forbes State Forest