THE UNIVERSAL TRAIL ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Mindy A. Pasternak, Peter W. Axelson, Denise A. Chesney, Wayne E. Wright and Patricia E. Longmuir Beneficial Designs, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA

ABSTRACT

One of the biggest obstacles the outdoors presents to people with disabilities is not a lack of access, but a lack of information. Existing trail grading systems and trail guides do not provide persons with mobility or visual limitations the information needed to determine if a trail can be hiked independently, with assistance, or not at all. The Universal Trail Assessment Process, developed by Beneficial Designs, collects objective information about the grade, cross slope, trail width, surface type, and magnitude of obstacles of individual recreation trails. The data collected during a Universal Trail Assessment can be used to create detailed trail guide products, such as pocket maps, trailhead signage and audio description tapes, that provide access, mapping and usage information about recreation trails. Outdoor enthusiasts can use this information to make decisions about which trails to use for recreational activities.

BACKGROUND

In 1990, the National Council on Disability held a public hearing addressing the need for improved access of parks and wilderness areas without excessive interference of nature. It was agreed that wheelchair users do not want to see the wilderness paved [1]. The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), passed in 1991, specify the accessibility standards for access to and inside public buildings. These regulations were never intended to apply to outdoor environments. The Access Board, who authored ADAAG, created the Recreation Access Advisory Committee to examine access to recreational facilities, including outdoor recreation access routes (ORARs) and recreation trails.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The information conveyed in existing trail guides is largely subjective and contains little information about the conditions of a trail. A recreationist with a mobility or visual limitation does not have the information about the characteristics of a trail he or she needs to determine if it can be negotiated. An assessment process that collects objective information about the grade, cross slope, trail width, surface type, and magnitude of obstacles on a trail needs to be developed.

RATIONALE

The nutritional labels found on food packaging provide the consumer with objective information about the contents of the package. Armed with this information, the consumer can make his or her own decision whether or not to purchase the product based on his or her wants and needs. Similarly, the availability of objective information about the characteristics of recreation trails will allow all trail users to decide if a trail will satisfy their individual requirements. This type of information will benefit a wide range of trail user groups, including hikers, mountain bikers, snowmobile riders, horseback riders, ATV riders, children, older persons, and people with and without disabilities. People who enjoy outdoor environments also enjoy the physical challenge these outdoor environments represent and individuals with mobility and visual limitations are no exception. With the right information, all individuals can experience the pleasure of being in the outdoors without sacrificing the challenges of a natural environment.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Four elements important when determining the level of access of a trail have been isolated: grade, cross slope, trail width and surface type. During a Universal Trail Assessment, trail assessment team members take these measurements at regular intervals along the trail, marked as stations. Additionally, notes are made about the magnitude of obstacles that are present in the trail. The trail assessment team is usually comprised of volunteers and consists of 3 to 12 members, including include a Trail Assessment Coordinator, a representative of the Land Management Agency, and a wheelchair user. Team members use easy-to-operate assessment tools when assessing a trail. Trail Length/Distance to Key Points: The rolatape, a single wheel with an attached handle, is rolled down the center of the trail to measure the distance of the trail in feet. It is also used to measure the length of excessive grades and cross slopes, and the distance to points of interest. Average Grade: Measurements of average grade are taken by two people working as partners. The partners face each other, one standing at one station and the other standing at the next, and sight to eye-level on their partner through a hand held device called a clinometer. The clinometer measures the grade between two stations. Average grade measurements are recorded in percent for that segment of trail. Average Cross Slope: A digital inclinometer, with a length of 24 inches to reflect the approximate footprint of a standard wheelchair, is used to record the average cross slope. It is placed across the best portion of the trail at the station, left to right, (assuming a wheelchair user would choose the most level section of the trail for his or her path of travel). Cross slope measurements at each station are recorded in percent.

Maximum Cross Slope:

Information about the maximum cross slope found on a trail is used to add detailed information to trail guides and trailhead signage. The team member operating the inclinometer stands at one station and determines visually if there is a change in cross slope to the next station (approximately 5% or greater). If so, the team member measures the values of the excessive cross slope by positioning the inclinometer across the trail width at several points along that portion of the trail. Because it is likely that the maximum cross slope will include a range of values, categories for maximum cross slope were developed (Table A). The category and/or range of values is recorded, as is the approximate length in feet the maximum cross slope occurs.

Maximum Grade:

Like the maximum cross slope, information about the maximum grade found on a trail is used to add detailed information to trail guides and trailhead signage. The assessment team member operating the inclinometer stands at one station and determines visually if there is a change in the grade to the next station (approximately 5% or greater). If so, the team member measures the values of the excessive grade by positioning the inclinometer along the length of the trail at several points along that portion of the trail. Because it is likely that the maximum grade will include a range of values, categories for maximum grade were developed (Table A). The category and/or range of values is recorded, as is the approximate length in feet the maximum grade occurs.

Trail Bearing:

The bearing of the trail is used to generate accurate trail maps. Working as partners, two people stand at consecutive stations, facing each other. Sighting through a hand held compass, each person determines the bearing to the station where his partner is standing.

Minimum Tread Width/Minimum Clearance Width:

A tape measure is used to measure the width of the trail. The minimum tread width, or "beaten path", is measured at each station and is used to calculate the average tread width. Even if a tread width is narrower than the width of a wheelchair, a wheelchair user may be able to make use of the area to the outside of the tread width, provided he or she can safely roll over what comprises that area. Therefore, the minimum amount of usable passage space between stations, or minimum clearance width, is measured. This may or may not exceed the width of the beaten path and is used to calculate the minimum trail width.

Table A. Categories for Maximum Grade and Cross Slope

Vertical Clearance:

Obstacles such as low hanging tree limbs or outcroppings of rock can be vertical obstacles for many, including people with visual limitations. A device similar to a yardstick is used to measure obstacles that are lower than 120 inches from the ground on trails that allow horses and 80 inches from the ground on trails that do not allow horses.

Surface Characteristics:

A judgment is made regarding the type of surface found in between stations. The type of surface is recorded, as well as a description of its characteristics (Table B).

Table B. Categories for Type of Surface

Magnitude of Obstacles:

According to the ANSI/ RESNA Wheelchair Standards, 28 inches is the maximum overall width recommended for a wheelchair. Therefore, the magnitude of obstacles protruding into a 28-inch trail width is measured. The width and length of obstacles are measured with a tape measure. A height recorder is used to measure the height of obstacles. This device is comprised of a tape measure attached to a plastic rod with one end of the rod fitted into a base. The base is set firmly on the ground next to the obstacle. An adjustable T-bar is designed to slide up or down the rod until it rests on the highest portion of an obstacle.

Data Collection:

Data collection is usually done by hand on a Trail Data Form. The data collection fields in a GPS unit can be programmed to record data and the GPS unit itself records the bearing of the trail. However, most units are not accurate enough in the Z axis to eliminate the need for using clinometer readings to get average grade.

EVALUATION

Initially, 10 recreation trails in Yellowstone National Park and the Gallatin National Forest were assessed using the Universal Trail Assessment Process. Trail guide products including pocket maps, trailhead signage and audio description tapes were generated with the data collected. Two of the trails, Fairy Falls and Ice Lake, were reassessed after two years. Measurements from the second assessment were consistent with the first, demonstrating the repeatability of the process. Trailhead signage, pocket maps and audio description tapes were generated for Grotto Falls Trail and Palisade Falls Trail. Volunteers, including 15 individuals with mobility limitations and 15 with visual limitations, were asked to use one or more of these products and provide feedback about the content and layout of each. Revisions were made based on the feedback received. In 1995, over 65 people from several national, state, local and private agencies and organizations were trained as Universal Trail Assessment Coordinators. These individuals, who included representatives from the USDA Forest Service, the USDI Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, US Fish & Wildlife, and the National Center on Accessibility, participated and led several trail assessments during the training workshops. They were asked to provide feedback based on their experience, and their comments were used to fine tune the assessment process, training materials and workshop curriculum. These trainees are conducting trail assessments in their own regions using the Universal Trail Assessment Process and will send their data back to Beneficial Designs where trailhead signage and mapping artwork will be generated. Several of these trails will be re-assessed by Beneficial Designs to determine the repeatability of the assessment process when conducted by individuals other than Beneficial Designs staff.

DISCUSSION

Parks and Forests struggle daily with the issue of what kind of trail information is important, how they can collect this information, and how they can present it to their visitors. The Universal Trail Assessment Process provides a way to collect necessary access information. Furthermore, in these days of budget and staff cuts, a trail assessment team using the Universal Trail Assessment Process has the tools necessary for conducting a complete trail inventory and can collect information about trail usage and maintenance needed, as well as access information. Agencies with trained trail assessment coordinators find that volunteers enjoy participating as Universal Trail Assessment team members. Beneficial Designs is developing the standard format for Universal Access Information for use by all agencies. Additionally, a software module is being created so that others will have the ability to process their trail data in-house and generate Universal Access Information to meet their needs. The overall goal of this project is to use the Universal Trail Assessment Process to collect objective information about recreation trails and to generate trail guide products that convey this information to different trail user groups, including hikers, mountain bikers, snowmobile riders, horseback riders, ATV riders, children, older persons, and people with and without disabilities. Everyone has different needs, but with Universal Access Information all trail users have the information they need to make decisions about which trails to use. The intent of this project is to make the availability of detailed access information the norm, rather than the exception.

REFERENCES

(1) National Council on Disability, Forum: National Parks and Wilderness Areas Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities, Jackson Lake Lodge, Moran, Wyoming, August 7, 1990.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project was funded by National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health through Small Business Innovative Research Phase I Grant No. 1 R43 HD299992-01 and Phase II Grant No. 1 R44 HD299992-02. Mindy Pasternak Beneficial Designs, Inc. 5858 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 tel: (408) 429-8447 fax: (408)423-8450 email: pax@netcom.com