Awesome Accessible Outdoor Adventures in the US

ADA Day (July 26) is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which helped guarantee civil rights for individuals with disabilities and worked to end discrimination on the basis of physical or mental disability. To celebrate, we've highlighted some states' accessible nature trails, forests and parks across the United States to give you some inspiration to start exploring the great outdoors, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. Check out the NPS.gov website, which should have personalized accessibility information on every park page, or Google your state's tourism website or parks department for more information.

Katchner Caverns State Park, located in Benson, Arizona offers wheelchair accessible cave tours, so everyone can explore one of the world's most mysterious geological features. It's one of the rare number of cave systems within the country that was made wheelchair accessible, so everyone can enjoy the stalagmites, stalagtites and bats.

Experience the Sinagua people's culture and what they left behind at the Montezuma Castle National Monument in Camp Verde, Arizona. Many of its trails are paved and are wheelchair accessible, making this a great cultural stop for everyone.

Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden offers guests small-size gravel and paved trails, which stretch into the desert and offer beautiful views of Phoenix. Some trails have more of an incline than others, but otherwise it's a beautiful spot to take in the desert ecosystem and take some photos.

Deep in the desert of Phoenix lies a calming oasis that transports everyone to Japan. The Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix offers paved trails through its beautiful gardens, mirrored in Phoenix's sister city, Himeji, Japan. The garden also offers cultural classes and experiences, like a traditional Japanese green tea ceremony, that you can book.

The Mt. Hood Scenic Loop, within the Portland-area Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, is paved and offers relatively accessible outdoor recreation. The website also features a handy selection of videos about the park's accessibility, so you can choose the best path for you.

Discovery Park, located along Puget Sound in Seattle, offers miles of wheelchair friendly paved paths, so you can enjoy the beautiful sights of two mountain ranges, the sea and the Pacific Northwest's beautiful natural environment.

The Painted Hills Overlook Trail is a wheelchair accessible trail in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. It offers stunning views of the unique painted hillsides. Wheelchairs are also available to rent for free at the park.

Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks in California offer several different areas that are wheelchair accessible, with paths that are paved for easier walking or wheeling, so you can enjoy the splendor of giant sequoia trees and the other living things that call the parks home.

Milwaukee's Bradford Beach offers plenty of ramps and also Mobi-Mats, placed right on the sand to help anyone with trouble walking in the sand get down to the lakefront, including individuals in wheelchairs or with walkers. The beach also offers free use of beach wheelchairs. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the beach is considered "the most accessible beach in the country!"

If the beach isn't your thing, or if it's not beach season, Milwaukee's Boerner Botanical Gardens offer an accessible garden to enjoy during spring, summer and fall, as well as signage in Braille and free access to Aira services.

The Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek, Wisconsin has rebuilt the Eagle Tower, which officially opened in May. This tower allows wheelchair users to wheel up the observation tower using a ramp, making it the first ADA-accessible observation tower in the state.

Congaree National Park in South Carolina preserves the largest piece of old-growth floodplain forest left on the continent. The park features an accessible Boardwalk Trail, with over two miles of forest to enjoy, filled with birds and other native flora and fauna.

The beaches of South Walton span for many miles and offer seven areas of access for people with wheelchairs. Wheelchair-friendly mats are provided at the Ed Walline Regional Beach Access point, as are a number of free beach wheelchairs that are available to check out.

Fontenelle Forest is one of the largest private nature centers in the nation, and offers more than a mile of a riverside boardwalk trail to enjoy, perfect for bird-watching and immersing oneself in nature.

The Cradle of Forestry in America offers wheelchair-accessible trails through the Pisgah Forest. The trails, which are around three miles, wind through the forest. The park also offers Forest Discovery Center, where guests can find a Braille map and an Adventure Zone trail developed in consultation with the Autism Society of North Carolina.

Sylvan Heights Bird Park is home to more than 2,000 birds, both exotic and native to the region. Paved trails wind through the park, which is 18 acres. It's perfect for bird lovers, of course, but it's also a great choice to just get some fresh air and learn about some cool animals.

The Hillsborough Riverwalk is a two-mile paved trail along the Eno River. Along the way is the Bee Hotel, home to 90 native bee species, a replica of a Occaneechi Indian Village as well as the Hillsborough Urban Gardens, making this a trail of discovery.