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| John's River Wildlife Area (WDFW) |
| Directions:
From Aberdeen, go west on SR 105 approximately 12 miles, after crossing
John's River bridge take the first left on John's River Road. Go
one block and turn left on George Clark Road, go to end of road
and turn right down into the site.
 Features:
Field areas, occasionally flooded, for waterfowl and winter elk
pasture. Fish for winter steelhead, coho salmon and sea-run cutthroat.
A level paved 12 foot wide dike trail to the viewing/hunting blind
is .57 miles.
 There
is also a grass/dirt continuation of the trail.
Other Info:
Designated handicap parking right at the entrance. Accessible photoblind
at the end of the paved trail for bird and elk viewing and hunting
accessed by a paved ramp. The accessible blind is better suited
for wildlife viewing but can be used for hunting waterfowl. An accessible
ramp for boarding horses and boats on trailers. Boaters: river is
tidally influenced. See
Westport.wa.com website for details and more photos.
WDFW parking sticker required (comes with fishing
license).
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Trip Notes:
May 2, 2003 - Very nice asphalt trail
along the dike with 360 degree views of lush green fields,
sloughs, and brush for a variety of waterfowl and wildlife.
Absolutely beautiful! We went .57miles to the end of the asphalt
where there was an accessible blind. There we found a break
from the cool wind and sat watching a variety of waterfowl
in the marshes and ponds below. Along with Canada Geese there
were many White-fronted Geese and one solitary Snow Goose.
Several Common Snipes were feeding in the bogs. The unpaved
area of the dike trail begins here, but we did not take it
since the grass was a little high for my scooter.
The parking area was in desparate need of
maintenace. The pit tolet was big enough for wheelchair access,
but was filthy - someone had dumped their trash in there.
Litter was every where in the parking lot. The trailhead access
was gated with a 180 degree angled narrow entrance that was
very difficult to get my scooter around. After moving back
and forth numerous times and scrapping the paint off my scooter,
I managed to make the 180 degree corner to get through the
fenced "chute." A wheelchair would make it fine
through there.
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| Westport Light State Park Dune
Trail
 Directions:
Approximately 23 miles west of Aberdeen
and just northeast of the town of Westport on State Route 105.
Features:
1.3 mi. ADA concrete path along the
ocean beach. The trail connects Westhaven State Park, at Half Moon
Bay, with Lighthouse State Park.
The Dune Trail has many benches along the way
with views of the ocean and grassy dunes. Two ramped observation
platforms allow a better view of the beach.
Beach access in various spots along the trail for abled bodied companions.
(Deep sand does not allow wheelchair access to the beach.)
Other Info:
Westport Light State Park is a 212-acre
day-use park on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The park offers
a panoramic view of the sea.
Westhaven State Park has a 132 space parking
lot with 3 handicapped spaces, an ADA unisex restroom with outside
shower and drinking faucet.
Note: In 2003 the state started charging
a $5. Washington State Park day use fee at the parking lot. (You
can get disability rates through the state for an annual pass.)
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Trip Notes:
 May
2, 2003 - Took this trail along the dunes starting at
Westhaven State Park. We could not continually see the beach
from the trail - a set of dunes blocked the view most of the
way. However, the shrubs and grasses of the dunes were beautiful
and the sound of the ocean is always invigorating. Shortly
after leaving the trailhead, there is a wooden observation
platform with an easy ramp up to it. From there you can see
the beach and watch surfers riding the waves with the rocks
of the jetty in the background.
There is a long incline at the Westport
Lighthouse end of the trail. If that is a problem for you,
start the trail at the Westhaven State Park parking lot. There
are better beach views at that end as well.
A park ranger was leaving parking fee envelopes
on the windshields of cars which had not paid the $5. fee.
Since I had not obtained an annual pass, I asked about the
fee, and the ranger said that as long as I had my disability
parking decal showing it would be OK.
We ate lunch up the road from Westhaven
SP at Kings Pancake and Steak House (right before you go into
the Ship Yards). Excellent seafood (prawns and great clam
chowder).
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| Grays Harbor National Wildlife
Refuge
 Directions:
From Hoquiam, head west on Hwy 109 for 1.5
miles. Turn left on Paulson Road and right on Airport Way. Pass
the airport terminal and park on the right near the last gate. Go
to the end of the blacktop road (about a quarter mile) to reach
the Sandpiper trail head.
 Features:
Six foot wide boardwalk along the Sandpiper
Trail. 2 miles round trip from the parking lot.
From late April through early May hundreds
of thousands of shorebirds concentrate on the muddy tideflats of
Grays Harbor Estuary on the Washington Coast. This is one of four
major staging areas for shorebirds in North America. Up to one million
shorebirds gather here in the spring to feed and rest for the non-stop
flight to their northern breeding grounds.
Other Info:
Park across from Lana's Hangar Cafe on Airport
Way. Handicap spaces are marked. There are ADA porta-pottys at the
parking area and near the trailhead at the end of the blacktop road.
Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival is held every
year at the end of April and attracts over 2000 birders. Best viewing
is at high tide which draws the birds closer to the viewing platforms.
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Trip Notes:
May 1, 2003 - We left the parking
area about 1/2 hour before high tide. Very nice trail! I wasn't
expecting it to be so long (2 miles round trip). It made for
a nice outting on a beautiful sunny Spring day. The first
part of the trip is on blacktop past some airport hangers.
The 6' wide boardwalk leads to the tip of Bowerman Peninsula
with saltmarsh on both sides of the trail. I knew I would
see mudflats and shorebirds on this trail, but I was pleasantly
surprised to find lots of small trees and shrubs producing
habitat for a variety of birds. The trail is well maintained
with many pullouts and benches to rest and look for wildlife.
Near the tip of the peninsula is a short section that winds
through taller trees. Wrens were all along the trail. At the
tip there were several small groups of bird watchers with
camera's and spotting scopes. Some of them were not speaking
English, which is not surprising since this spot attracts
birders from around the world. Last week was the annual Shorebird
Festival which attracts over 2,000 birders every year to view
the Spring migration. This day, thousands of Western Sandpipers
were feeding in the mudflats. At the tip, lots of Dunlin were
feeding near the platform. A birder let us look through his
spotting scope at a couple of Red Knots. We also saw a Blue
Heron and many Canada Geese. Returning to the parking area,
we decided to have a late lunch at Lana's Hanger Cafe. There
is a ramp up to the cafe and it was very nice inside, but
we ate outside on the lawn where there were a couple of picnic
tables. A few planes took off and landed while we ate. Fun
trip!!
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Click on
a photo to see more views of the refuge. |
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Friends Landing
 Directions:
From Montesano, drive W on US 12 for about
2 mi to the Devonshire Rd exit. Go 1.5 mi on Devonshire Rd to Katon
Rd. Turn left, and follow Katon Rd to site at end.
Features:
Private/public outdoor haven for nature
lovers with disabilities. There's two fishing shacks along with
piers and other access. There are 1.7 miles of level paved and boardwalk
trail around the lake. Periodically there are viewing platforms
with benches where you can rest, fish, or view wildlife such as
eagles, osprey, beaver, and otter.
 There
are boat launches on the river and the lake. The river also has
accessible fishing piers and docks. A variety of trees and berried
shrubs shelter birds and attract wildlife such as black bear.
This outdoor recreation area was donated to Trout
Unlimited. They conceived of a totally accessible recreational facilty
that would enable people with disabilities to access aquaculture
and fish enhancement projects and participate in outdoor activies.
There is even a transit shelter so someone could take the bus out
here.
Other Info:
Lake and river fishing (all wild cutthroat
and steelhead must be released). Salmon and sturgeon are the major
catches, but the lake containes a variety of fish.The campground
is nestled between the Chehalis River and the lake. Eighteen RV
sites with electrical and water, eleven tent sites in the campground
plus a dump station. Showers and restroom are accessible via a handicap
ramp. Camp from March to November by making reservations at (360)
249-5117. Three totally accessible sites are reserved for people
with disabilities. All sites have wide, paved driveways and elevated
firepits.
Click
on a photo to see more views of Friends Landing. |
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Also see: http://www.colpac.org/subtopics/projects/friendslanding.htm
| Trip
Notes:
July 2002 - Great spot!! I highly
recommend it for anyone who likes to to bird watch, fish,
or just get near a lake, river, and woods. I drove down here
for the day, but I will definately come back and camp here.
My dog, Daks and I circled the lake on the wide 1.7 mile paved
and boardwalk trail.
A 55 lb. Sturgeon was being caught the weekend
I was there. I'm not big on sturgeon or salmon fishing, but
I'm hoping that they are stocking the lake with trout - I'll
keep you posted.
May 1, 2003 - Stayed in the campground
in our RV. We had reserved space #10 which is fairly level
and has some tall shrubs in the back for shade for our dog,
Daks. We used this as our base camp to check out the trails
in the area. It is only 33 miles from Westport and the ocean.
Nice and quiet with a lovely view of the lake. It filled up
on the weekend though. Took the trail several times in the
evenings. What a nice place!
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| Lake Sylvia State Park
 Directions:
Located one mile north of Montesano, Wash.
From Olympia: Drive west on Hwy. 101 to SR 8, and west on SR 8 to
SR 12. Follow signs to Montesano. Lake Sylvia is a mile north of
the SR 12/Lake Sylvia exit.
Features:
Beach access for swimming, ADA paved and
boardwalk trail along the lake. Lake Sylvia State Park is a quiet,
233-acre camping park with 15,000 feet of freshwater shoreline.
The park was renovated in 1999 and made
many improvements
regarding accessibility as shown in photos on the National Center
on Accessibility website.
Other Info:
Dump station available Open year-round for
day use. Campground closed Oct. 1 to March 29. Day-use area available
for overnight camping. Accessible fishing piers plus you can fish
off the bridge that divides the lake.
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Trip Notes:
May 3, 2003 - It was raining lightly
as I parked in a handicap stall next to the trailhead. From
what I saw, the paved section is a short path along the north
end of the lake. It ends at a wide boardwalk next to the dam.
It is close to the water and an excellent spot to fish from.
The trail continues from there (Silvia Creek forestry trail),
but did not appear to be ADA accessible as it was not very
wide. Another trail forked off to the right up a hill so I
figured that was not accessible either. I had read that two
rail trails were here that are wheelchair accessible. If so,
they were not obvious. I tried moving east along the lake,
but did not see a trail. There was a nice fishing platform
near the bridge. I'll explore these trails more next time
I am in the area and the weather is nicer.
There is a gradual paved path up to the
accessible restrooms. I sat under the eaves of the building
away from the rain and watched a pair of Canada Geese with
four babies down at the edge of the lake.
Since it was raining I did not get the fishing
gear out, but several folks arrived to fish off the boardwalk
and bridge. This small 32 acre lake is stocked with rainbows,
silvers, and steelhead for opening day in April and again
before the free fishing weekend in June. Some popular rigs
include green wedding rings tipped with worms or power bait,
orange-colored flatfish, dragging a dry fly on the surface,
purple nymph flavored power bait, marshmallows floated off
the bottom. Another winner is cooked and peeled popcorn shrimp
with a bobber. (Put them in the microwave for about 20 seconds
to firm them up.)
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Chehalis Wildlife
Area (WDFW)
Directions:
Head West on US 12 towards Montesano. About
2 miles past Elma turn left (south) on Schouweiler Road. Stay right
past gravel pits to end of road. Go left 100 yards to accessible
parking area on right.
Features:
Sloughs and ponds with largemouth bass,
crappie, trout. Waterfowl hunting and viewing. Some gravel walking
paths. Accessible duck hunting/ wildlife viewing blind.
Other Info:
Undeveloped area. Flat, gravel parking area.
An accessible duck hunting blind is located at the end of a concrete
path 300 feet from the accessible parking. Hunting has priority
use over wildlife viewing during the open waterfowl hunting season.
Open to use by all hunters, but hunters with a WDFW disabled hunter
permit have priority use if occupied at least one hour before daylight.
Disabled hunters should occupy this blind early on weekends.
Vance Creek County Park
Directions:
On US 12 located just south of Elma.
Features:
A paved trail loops around the eastern pond
and is easily handicapped accessible. An unpaved trail is also available
around the western portion of the park. The park is day use only
with a variety of potential activities besides the trails: picnicking,
boating (no motors), swimming, fishing. There are picnic tables,
barbecues, play fields, playground. Both ponds have a beach area
next to their swimming area.
Other Info:
Services at the park include restrooms
and a pay phone. The ponds are stocked with rainbows, steelhead,
and silver salmon. Fishing is open from the last Saturday in April
until Oct. 31. One pond is disignated fishing for kids and seniors,
the other is open to all. Various tackle works here including flies,
worm/marshmallow combos, and powerbait.
East Aberdeen Waterfront Walkway
 Directions:
East Aberdeen (along the north side of the
Chehalis River). On Hwy 12 heading west into Aberdeen, take the
first exit to the left, east of the Gateway Plaza and follow the
signs to the Morrison River Park. You can also access the trail
further west at the Walmart parking lot, but there are designated
parking stalls and an ADA port-a-potty at Morrison River Park.
 Features:
A 6' wide, 1.6 mile asphalt trail winds
along the north side of the Chehalis River. This is an urban waterfront
trail. Logging operations can be seen across the river. Some of
the trail passes behind the Gateway Plaza shopping mall and the
Walmart.
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Trip Notes:
May 1, 2003 - Took the entire trail
from the Walmart east to Lakeside Industries while my partner
shopped in Walmart. The trail follows the Chelalis River the
entire way. The nicest part of the trail is near Morrison
River Park, although the section behind Walmart has been fixed
up quite nicely. A good urban trail for the Aberdeen residents.
A good spot to take your picnic lunch if you are traveling
in the area.
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| Symbols
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An agency or a trip evaluation has rated
all or part of the trail as wheelchair accessible. |
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There is some terrain greater than a 5%
grade. A wheelchair user may require assistance on portions
of this trail. Suitable for power mobility devices. |
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No Dogs are allowed on the trail. |
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