ST. GEORGE — Zion National Park has made a top 10 list of one of the least accessible national parks in America. Still, officials say this iconic park is more accessible than meets the eye and improvements are coming. Meanwhile, Bryce Canyon National Park is listed as one of the most accessible parks in the country.

A new study from Aging in Place ranks the best and worst states in the U.S. for accessible adventures. The study’s accessibility rating looks at each national park’s total number of trails and restaurants that are wheelchair-friendly.

Zion National Park

“Zion National Park is a great place to visit, and we welcome everyone to make the trip here. There are a number of accessible activities everyone can enjoy,” said Jonathan Shafter, public affairs specialist at Zion National Park. “Besides the iconic scenic drives on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, Kolob Terrace Road and Kolob Canyons Scenic Drive, we welcome visitors to our accessible campsites and the Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyons visitor centers.”

Shafer said wheelchairs can travel along the Pa’rus Trail and the Riverside Walk. Several campsites are reserved for people with disabilities, and service dogs are permitted on a leash throughout the park. The National Park Service also maintains many accessible picnic areas.

Zion Lodge and the Zion Forever bookstores are wheelchair-friendly. The National Park Service also provides free, accessible water bottle filling stations. He said drinking plenty of water is critical during the hot summer months in Zion.

Park shuttles are also wheelchair accessible and free. If a person is unable to take a shuttle, they can request a permit to drive into Zion National Park when it usually is closed to vehicle traffic from March through November.

“Use of your personal vehicle is restricted to individuals requiring additional vehicle supported medical devices or when the shuttle bus cannot accommodate you,” according to the park’s website.

Shafer said all of the visitor’s centers within the canyon are reachable by the shuttle service. Ranger-led shuttle tours are available daily in the summer. Those shuttles require a reservation in person at the visitor center up to three days in advance. The Pa’rus Trail is a 1.5 mile-long paved trail that descends 50 feet from Canyon Junction to the visitor center with minimal grade change.

“One of the many projects Zion is working on now is planning improvements to the south entrance and campground area,” Shafer said. “Among the many improvements being considered are some that would add new, accessible surfaces and reduce the interface between drivers and non-motorized travelers.”

Some of the improvements the National Park Service is considering for Zion National Park include:

• Defining the Zion Canyon Pedestrian Entrance.
• Realigning the roadway accessed from the South Entrance Fee Station the the Zion Canyon Visitor Center.
• Expanding the shuttle maintenance facility to accommodate electrical vehicle charging.
• Reconstructing the South Campground to meet current accessibility and safety codes.
• Installing intuitive way-finding pedestrian trails and improving accessibility in the South Entrance Area.

In addition, Zion National Park is in the process of improving accessibility at Kolob Canyons Visitor Center. The work at Kolob Canyons builds on previous projects that have already enhanced accessibility by reducing the steepness of the parking lot in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, Shafer said.

Bryce Canyon National Park

While Zion was listed as one of the least-accessible parks in the study, another Southern Utah national park was ranked as among the most accessible.

“We realize needs vary from person to person,” said Peter Densmore, visual information specialist at Bryce Canyon National Park. “Our goal is to provide our visitors with all the information they need to decide how they want to enjoy this special place.”

Bryce Canyon National Park is accessible by taking in a sunset along the flat and paved Rim Trail near Sunset Point. There is also a wheelchair lift to ride the park shuttle and visit viewpoints along the Scenic Drive. Densmore said there is camping at an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible campsite.

The Park Lodge for dining or an overnight stay, taking a horse ride below the rim, or enjoying accessible media in the Visitor Center and online are also ways to have an accessible experience. Visitors are encouraged to call the Park’s horse ride provider in advance to see if they have enough upper body strength to ride on a horse, and each case is reviewed individually.

“We strive to provide equal access to the magic of Bryce Canyon National Park,” Densmore said. “Summer is a great time to come up and beat the heat at 8,000 feet, too.”

He advises visitors to remember that staying hydrated at higher elevations is especially important. Densmore said that the National Park Service provides accessible water bottle-filling stations and drinking fountains at the Visitor Center, General Store, campgrounds and Sunset Point.

When planning an accessible visit to Bryce Canyon National Park, visit the park’s website or stop by the Visitor Center to pick up a free accessibility guide and get personalized trip planning advice.

Study parameters

The Aging in Place study looked at each national park and gathered data on the total number of trails and the number of wheelchair-friendly trails taken from AllTrails to find the proportion of wheelchair-accessible routes.  Then the study viewed the total number of restaurants and the number of wheelchair-friendly restaurants according to Tripadvisor to find the proportion of wheelchair-accessible restaurants in or surrounding the national parks.

According to the Aging in Place website, to achieve the accessibility score, both factors were assigned a normalized score out of 10 and took an average across both scores to reach the final ranking.

National parks with less than 10 trails and restaurants were removed from the rankings as this may only be a reflection of the low visitor numbers to these parks, the Aging in Place website stated.

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