Enhancing Accessibility throughout Grand Teton

Joe Stone enjoys a popular trail in Grand Teton National Park.
Joe Stone enjoys a popular trail in Grand Teton National Park.

Intergenerational families, wheelchair users, and visitors of all abilities should have the opportunity to experience the extraordinary Teton landscape first-hand. That is why a growing focus area for our partnership with Grand Teton National Park is to improve accessibility at popular destinations throughout the park.

This year, the Foundation hired Dovetail Trail Consulting—a firm led by Joe Stone and Quinn Brett, both incredible athletes and wheelchair users, that collaborates with public land agencies to find solutions for adaptive recreation opportunities. The two aim to bring awareness to how land management agencies can better maintain existing trails, campgrounds, and recreational access routes, and even create new trails to endure both the elements and increasing user traffic. They bring an additional layer of expertise that highlights how these sustainable processes can include a wider spectrum of users and adaptive equipment.

Joe Stone demonstrates accessibility challenges with certain types of bridges to Grand Teton's trail crew members.
Joe Stone demonstrates accessibility challenges with certain types of bridges to Grand Teton's trail crew members.

Dovetail spent three weeks in Grand Teton this summer working with the park’s professional trail crew. They hiked several routes and shared their expertise regarding how minor improvements (like removing large rocks, slightly widening paths, building better bridges, and addressing safety concerns in busy parking areas) can improve the park experience for people who have varying mobility. These changes are not visible to the untrained eye but make all the difference for people with disabilities.

The Foundation also purchased a HETAP device for the park, which is a computer that collects specific trail data like grade, cross slope, tread width, and more—information that is incredibly helpful for people of all ability levels to make informed hiking decisions before leaving the trailhead. Grand Teton’s trail crew is in the process of collecting this data on popular routes throughout the park and will include details at trailheads for visitors to see before they start their hikes. Another goal is to develop trip planning tools that make this information available to visitors before they even arrive at the park so they can find a trail that works best for their interest and ability.

Quinn Brett maneuvers through a rocky trail. Improvements to this popular route could make it easier and safer for visitors with disabilities to navigate.
Quinn Brett maneuvers through a rocky trail. Improvements to this popular route could make it easier and safer for visitors with disabilities to navigate.

These efforts combined will make Grand Teton’s trails more inclusive, sustainable, and allow grandparents with grandkids, families that include wheelchair users, and people of all abilities to experience the iconic views and destinations in Grand Teton’s backcountry.

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