The nonprofit Sawtooth Society and the U.S. Forest Service are collaborating to smooth the way for disabled recreationists in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area—or at least let them know which ways are smooth.
Gary O'Malley, executive director of the Sawtooth Society, said the society is working with the Forest Service to compile a list of trails accessible to people with various physical and cognitive disabilities.
"There aren't many places in the country that have this many opportunities for recreation," O'Malley said.
The Forest Service is taking stock of trails in the SNRA this summer, and the Sawtooth Society will organize this information in a user-friendly guide this fall.
The pamphlet will provide information on trail difficulty, noting which are smooth or paved and which are more rugged. Hazards such as blockages or narrow paths and the accessibility of nearby facilities will be noted.
Tom Iselin, executive director of Sun Valley Adaptive Sports, said it's hard to gauge how accessible the SNRA is for those with hearing loss, visual impairment and traumatic brain injury. He said a guide that considers the needs of these recreationists in addition to those of wheelchair users would be "very, very helpful."
Erik Schultz, director of the Ketchum-based Arthur B. Schultz Foundation, which primarily provides wheelchairs to people in poor countries, listed five trails in the Wood River Valley that he knew to be wheelchair-accessible. Schultz said the valley has a "huge amount of variety" of accessible trails compared with other resort communities.
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Schultz has used a wheelchair since a skiing accident seven years ago paralyzed him from the waist down. He hikes and sit-skis, and cited the Wood River Trail as the most accessible in the area. The trail is fully paved and runs from Bellevue to Ketchum.
The Murdock Creek Trail, near the SNRA visitor center, is under construction to open the first mile to wheelchairs. The proposed Central Idaho Economic and Recreation Act includes a provision for the trail's maintenance. If CIEDRA is passed by Congress, Murdock Creek would be the first primitive wheelchair trail approved for a federal wilderness area.
Wheelchair users are legally permitted in designated wilderness areas but are often excluded due to practical obstacles.
The Phyllis Lake Trail is another that may be included in the pamphlet. Brett Stevenson, central Idaho associate for the Idaho Conservation League, said the 0.6-mile trail is designated as wheelchair accessible, despite the rocky terrain.
Schultz organized a group trek to Phyllis Lake in 2005. The group included five disabled hikers and several volunteers who helped push and pull wheelchairs over trail obstacles. Schultz said construction is underway to decrease trail grades through switchbacks.
Iselin described the Phyllis Lake trail as accessible but certainly not easy, especially for someone with a new injury.
Still, he said, "It's something that gets people in the backcountry to a lake. Is it difficult? Yeah, but it's worth it."
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
