Field Notes

Living life to the fullest: accessible trails in Vermont

12 min read / July 7, 2025 / By Laura Hardie

Opening up Vermont’s trails to more people

“When we talk about trails, we’re really talking about people. Who gets to be here? Who feels welcome? What can we do to say yes to more people?”

— Sharon Plumb of Vermont Trails & Greenways Council

Courtesy Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports

A feeling of ease, belonging, and freedom

A few years ago, Shannon Franks (pictured at the top of the page, at the Thundering Brook Falls Trail in Killington) drove 500-plus miles to Vermont for a chance to ride a mountain bike.

His home in the D.C. area didn’t offer what he needed: trails at least four feet wide, no narrow tree or rock impingements, adaptive mountain bikes, and most importantly the programs and knowledge of which adaptive bikes to use and where to ride them. Vermont did. And those trails, and the community around them, stuck with him. So, he moved to Vermont.

“When you’re in a wheelchair, you just don’t go on long trails. Even on trails that are accessible to a regular wheelchair, you go half a mile, and you get tired because pushing on dirt or stones is hard,” Shannon said.

“There are only two things that really get me deep in the woods anymore — adaptive mountain biking and cross-country skiing,” he said. “I’m not inhibited or disabled then. I can bike with you just as far, just as fast.”

Mike LaMoy, a Vermont native who uses a wheelchair, knows that feeling too. He grew up racing horses, playing sports, swimming, and hiking, but after a spinal cord injury, those experiences became harder to have. Trails he once tackled alone were no longer feasible.

“Just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s going to be fun,” Mike said. “Is this something I can do with my family, or will my family be doing it for me and pushing me the whole way?”

Then came a summer afternoon at Little River State Park in Waterbury. There, Mike used a park-provided floating chair designed for people who use a wheelchair to get into the water.

“Honestly, that was the best time I’ve had in the water since my accident,” he said. “You’re just floating… just another one of the people in the water, with the trees and everything.”

That kind of joy — the feeling of ease, belonging, and freedom — is driving efforts to improve outdoor access across Vermont. Trail projects are being designed by VLT and other organizations with one goal: opening up wild places to more people and discovering what we all can gain when we do.

Photo: A school group out for a paddle on Chittenden Reservoir in Chittenden with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a nonprofit helping people of all ages and abilities access outdoor recreation.

Credit Laura Hardie

Building for belonging

The trails Mike enjoys and that drew Shannon to Vermont didn’t happen by accident. They are the result of careful design, community input, and a growing understanding of what it takes to make nature truly welcoming to more people.

“When we talk about trails, we’re really talking about people,” said Sharon Plumb of Vermont Trails & Greenways Council (VTGC), an organization working to promote and enhance trail systems across the state. “Who gets to be here? Who feels welcome? What can we do to say yes to more people?”

That includes people who use wheelchairs, families with strollers, older adults, people with vision impairments, and those with sensory, cognitive, or neurodivergent differences.

At a minimum, people using mobility aids need trails to be wider (often called “tread width”) and for slopes (“grade”) to be gradual, and a stable surface that does not vary with the seasons. They also need minimal “cross slope” — the side-to-side tilt that helps water drain but can throw wheels off balance.

In 2023, staff at North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier upgraded one of their trails with those principles in mind. The new trail has compacted crushed stone instead of dirt, almost no slopes, and is mostly five feet wide. It also has quiet areas and shaded seating along the way.

“We’re not just trying to check a box,” said Naomi Heindel of North Branch. “We’re trying to create a place where someone can say, ‘Yes, this is for me too.’”

That kind of intentional design is exactly what trail users like Shannon count on — because when a trail falls short in just one spot, the whole experience can become inaccessible. Before he goes out on a trail in his manual wheelchair, which he propels using push rims, he often scouts it first with his hand cycle, which can cover more variable terrain.

“When you make an accessible trail, every aspect of that trail has to be a certain way. Not 90 percent of it,” Shannon said. “The problem is when I get to that one spot I can’t get through, that ends your day. You don’t get through. You don’t finish. You turn around. So, every aspect of it — and that takes a lot of work.”

Photo: Naomi Heindel of Montpelier’s North Branch Nature Center at a trail the Center upgraded in 2023 so it can be used by more people: the new trail has compacted crushed stone instead of dirt, almost no slopes, and is mostly five feet wide.

Meet Shannon and Mike

Credit Sevenpair Studios, courtesy Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports

Shannon’s trail to Vermont

A car accident during college left Shannon paralyzed. Unwilling to give up his active lifestyle, he found adaptive sports. He became a competitive adaptive rower while living in D.C., raced in the three-mile Head of the Charles in Boston and trained intensely for over a decade. Eventually, he was ready for something new. “I gave it all up because I wanted a new challenge,” he said.

A remote job gave him flexibility. A mountain biking program in Killington run by Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports — a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that helps people of all ages and abilities access sports and outdoor recreation year-round — gave him a spark. So, he packed his car and headed north with just a hope that things would work out.

“I thought it’d be easy. I was wrong,” he said of the difficulty finding housing and navigating Vermont’s steep terrain in his wheelchair, including deteriorating sidewalks and pathways (like Depot Street in Burlington) that can be dangerous for chair users.

Shannon spent a season living in Killington, taking 25 adaptive ski lessons as part of his goal to independently mono ski. It hasn’t been easy. “You think you’re going to be able to do it, and it just takes so much time and effort. You must have this mindset that you’re going to get dirty and fall, and you’re going to have to get up and do it again, and again,” Shannon said.

Eventually, he landed an apartment in Burlington, close to the Burlington Bike Path. In a happy coincidence, it overlooks the summer office of Vermont Adaptive, where he volunteers to help others learn to bike.

Though Vermont’s steep grades are a daily challenge for Shannon, the feeling of being in the woods — independent, moving under his own power — has kept him here.

“It’s how I can be alone and feel how I used to feel,” Shannon said.

He mountain bikes at least once a week in the summer, using Vermont Adaptive’s specialized adaptive mountain bikes (aMTBs) — off-road bikes with three or four wheels, hand pedals, and power assist designed for stability and performance on rugged terrain. With prices up to $20,000, aMTBs are out of reach for most; Vermont Adaptive removes that barrier by providing access to a fleet of 30 three-wheeled adaptive bikes and 50 two-wheeled bikes, along with instruction and community support. “Without them, I never would’ve had the chance to ride like this,” Shannon said.

He says the bike isn’t just for fun — it’s how he gets outside.

When he isn’t mountain biking, he’s in his racing wheelchair (for smooth pavement, propelled by pushing the wheels) or using a hand cycle (with arm-powered pedals and gears, better for longer or rougher rides) on the Burlington Bike Path.

“I just go. That’s my sanctuary. That’s my meditation,” he said.

He raced in Burlington’s Vermont City Marathon in 2025, and is training for a 60-mile hand cycle trip with a friend from Burlington to Canada.

“None of this stuff is easy. People have a lot of determination,” Shannon said of how hard he and his wheelchair-using friends work to enjoy the outdoors. But, he said, “This is what we want in life.”

Photo: Shannon (left) explores the Sherburne Trails in Killington with Ben Hannibal (right), using adaptive bikes.

Courtesy Mike LaMoy

Mike’s mission to challenge assumptions

Mike LaMoy was 18 when a car crash changed his life. Raised in Swanton, he was an active teenager until the crash left him with an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) from the chest down. “I remember what it was like to hike and play sports,” he said.

After his injury, he moved to Burlington for rehab and began speaking in schools and at DUI programs. Today, he shares his story with students entering the healthcare field. “I bring humor to it,” he said. “It can be uncomfortable, but we can have fun with this too.”

His goal is to challenge assumptions. “A lot of people think that everybody with a disability is more than happy sitting on the couch,” he said. “That’s not the case.” He wants future healthcare professionals to understand what really matters: freedom, movement, access, and the difference it makes when those things are possible. “Having the option gives you some hope and purpose,” he said.

Mike also serves on an accessibility advisory council for South Hero Land Trust (SHLT), evaluating half a dozen existing recreation sites as part of grant-funded accessibility assessments. SHLT is also exploring new sites for accessible trails.

“People are looking at what we’re doing and saying, ‘Oh, we should do this in our area,’” Jenna O’Donnell of SHLT said. “It benefits everyone when you make a trail accessible.”

Mike’s priority is usability. “Just pave it,” he said of the lack of paved trails in the state. “You can still have the trees and the nature experience. But now people with a walker or wheelchair can actually enjoy it, too.”

While paving trails can increase stormwater runoff, Mike’s view underscores the real barriers people with mobility challenges face, and the trade-offs often involved in designing truly inclusive access.

Some of Mike’s favorite places, like Vermont’s first universally accessible playground at Oakledge Park in Burlington, let him share time with his daughter. He also enjoys kayaking, thanks to an Adaptive Paddling Naturalist Outing series led by SHLT in partnership with his physical therapist Cathy Webster, the Vermont Disabled Athletic Association, and North Branch Nature Center.

“So, I’m out on the water again and, you know, living life to the fullest,” Mike said.

It’s important for a variety of options to be available, he says, because wheelchair users are prone to pressure ulcers that often sideline them from their favorite activities. Mike’s tried wheelchair basketball, ice hockey, badminton — anything he can find to stay active.

For him, it’s not just about the activities themselves, but what they make possible: connection.

“There are a lot of able-bodied people who want to help disabled people enjoy what they’re able to do with their families and friends,” Mike said. “They just want to help and need a cause to fight for. And this… bringing people together is always a positive thing.”

Photo: Mike is able to enjoy kayaking once again through a special program.

“If I’m just building a trail for me, I can grab a rake and go. But if we want that same trail to work for someone using a mobility device, it’s a whole different ballgame.”

— Jeff Alexander, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports

Courtesy Trail Accessibility Hub

Connection takes effort

Creating trails that truly welcome everyone takes more than goodwill. It requires time, money, expertise, and a willingness to rethink how trails are planned, built, and shared.

“If I’m just building a trail for me, I can grab a rake and go,” said Jeff Alexander of Vermont Adaptive. “But if we want that same trail to work for someone using a mobility device, it’s a whole different ballgame. You’re talking grading, diesel, bridges, surfacing…it’s a real cost difference.”

But not every project has to break the bank. “There’s this idea that accessibility has to be expensive,” said Naomi of North Branch Nature Center. “But sometimes it’s small tweaks like better signage and a stable surface that make a trail more welcoming.”

For Vermont land managers unsure where to begin, the Trail Accessibility Hub is helping pave the way. A state-funded initiative, the Hub is providing free trail assessments on pedestrian trails, aquatic entry points, and mountain biking trails so managers understand what upgrades need to be made, with input from people with mobility challenges. The Hub also fosters collaboration through peer learning opportunities.

“Not every group has an accessibility expert,” said Sharon Plumb of the Vermont Trails & Greenways Council, which spearheads the Hub along with six partner organizations. “But they care deeply. The Hub gives them tools and a place to learn.”

Photo: The South Hero Land Trust assesses an existing trail for accessibility, with support from Vermont’s Trail Accessibility Hub.

Credit Laura Hardie

Resources to meet a need

Sharon says that after the assessment, the next hurdle is ensuring that organizations can apply for grants to update the trails, which requires additional resources.

“The Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) has chapters, but there is no parallel group for pedestrian trails,” Sharon says, referring to the need for a coordinated, localized volunteer effort to improve walking and hiking trails.

In these ways, she says, the Hub is helping shift how people think about recreation to help discover a sustainable way to maintain and update trails.

The demand is real. “Within a five-hour radius of Vermont, there are about 13 million people who identify as having a disability,” said Kim Jackson of Vermont Adaptive. “That’s a huge population that’s just a short drive or train ride away. The more we can make our state accessible, especially from a tourism and recreation standpoint, that’s only going to benefit the economy in addition to the people we serve.”

The need is local, too. According to US Census data for 2019-2023, about 11% of Vermonters under age 65 live with a disability, including ambulation. Yet data on accessible trails is hard to find. A report released in March 2025 by the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC), a state initiative, offered these estimates: over 11,500 miles of trail overall, with less than one percent listed as accessible by Trail Finder, including about 100 miles of trail for adaptive mountain biking.

“Vermont is ahead in many ways,” Sharon said. “But when you look at the total miles of trails we have, it’s clear we’re just getting started.”

Photo: Sharon Plumb of Vermont Trails & Greenways Council

Credit Laura Hardie

Details matter

There is growing momentum and new trails are creating pathways to nature for more people. Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, Tucker Mountain Forest in Newbury, and NorthWoods Stewardship Center in Charleston — all conserved and open for everyone — have recently added accessible trails.

A key ingredient for an accessible trail to be usable is detailed information.

Mike explained why. “There are very few places where you can go online, see where to park, the distance from the parking to the trail, and what the surface is like. When that information is available, it relieves the situation of anxiety and confusion allowing for the best experience possible.”

Terms like accessible and all-persons trail are often used interchangeably, but they’re not always the same or ADA-compliant. And trail labels can be subjective. “What’s labeled as easy for one person might be completely inaccessible for someone else,” Naomi of North Branch said.

There is signage at the trailhead, too. New signs at North Branch’s upgraded trail describe it as a 0.3-mile loop, with crushed stone, two benches, a minimum width of four feet, and a maximum grade and cross slope of 6 percent. “People need clear, descriptive information, so they can decide for themselves,” Naomi said.

Jeff of Vermont Adaptive agrees. He recalls snowboarding with kids who were hesitant to go on trails until they saw pictures of where they were headed. He says providing visual information is especially helpful for people with neurodivergence such as autism.

The online platform Trail Finder is working with the Trail Accessibility Hub to make more information available about existing trails. The team is field-checking more locations and adding photos, slope grades, surface information, and a section called Accessible Adventures, so people can make informed decisions before leaving home.

Photo: A key ingredient for an accessible trail to be usable is detailed information. This sign at an accessible trail at the North Branch Nature Center in Vermont has information that helps people plan their foray into the outdoors.

“Our goal is to make this a place where people of many ages and mobility levels can come for a field trip, a quiet walk, a deep breath in the woods — or listen to a red-eyed vireo.”

— Caitlin Cusack, VLT

Credit Kyle Gray

Pathways to a welcoming future on conserved lands

In Duxbury, a 500-acre conserved property donated by the late birder Fred Pratt to VLT is being transformed into a welcoming, accessible space for learning and exploration.

The secluded retreat with a dramatic view of Camel’s Hump is also a birding hotspot: migratory songbirds travel far and wide to take shelter in two acres of meadow and the surrounding forest. VLT manages the Pratt Refuge, keeping it open for visitors and regularly hosting events.

“When we’re thinking about how to steward this land, we think about the people too,” said VLT’s Caitlin Cusack. “Who gets to enjoy it? Who gets to feel like they belong? This is about more than conservation — it’s about connection.”

Working in close partnership with Vermont Adaptive, VLT staff have been talking to community members, area schools, birding groups, and others to foster that connection. We’re drawing on the relationships and learning from a project last year to upgrade a mile-long trail at Brewster Uplands in Cambridge, also owned and managed by VLT. Today, that trail has crushed stone surfacing, an even grade, additional accessible parking, benches and spaces to rest along the trail, and goes all the way to a scenic pond overlook (trail pictured; see caption below). Informative and usable signage is in the works. VLT’s Bluffside Farm in Newport also features a mile of accessible trail that connects to downtown Newport.

“The Vermont Land Trust is opening doors for us, and for the adaptive community, to go play across the state,” Jeff Alexander of Vermont Adaptive said. “That’s a big deal.”

Later this summer, work will begin on an accessible trail loop and outdoor classroom at the Pratt Refuge, including a renovated cabin. Interpretive signs, developed with Audubon Vermont, will guide visitors through habitat managed for birds.

“We are learning, with each project, with every conversation with a partner organization or a trail user, that one size does not fit all. Our goal is to make this a place where people of many ages and mobility levels can come for a field trip, a quiet walk, a deep breath in the woods — or listen to a red-eyed vireo,” Caitlin said. “We want this to be a place that families and friends can explore and enjoy, without having to leave someone behind. Our work is just beginning.”

“You know, we’re humans,” said Kim of Vermont Adaptive. “We want to be with other humans. We want to interact and have joy. So being able to make sure that a family who might have a child with a disability can go out on a trail together — it matters. There’s something about seeing the beavers and hearing the birds. It’s nature, it’s community, it’s the right thing to do.”

When asked to describe what it feels like to be deep in the woods Shannon said, “It’s like trying to explain to someone what the Northern Lights look like. Maybe someone more eloquent could put something so beautiful into words. For me, I just like to be outside.”

Photo: L to R, VLTer Annalise Carington, Berni Kuntzelmann and his son Will, and Greg Fatigate of Rabbit Tracks Trail Works celebrated a mile-long trail at VLT’s Brewster Uplands in Cambridge after it was upgraded last fall with input from Berni on its suitability for wheelchair users.