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5 Wheel-Friendly Ways to Get Outside this Fall

Stroller and Wheelchair Accessible trails

By Catherine Heatley October 17, 2019

Though the weather this week has been a little inhospitable, there is still plenty of Autumn ahead. If we're lucky, we'll see a few more nice days before temps really take a dip and the snow begins to fly. Its a great time to get outside for the last of the good weather in 2019, but when you're working with little legs or accessibility challenges, knowing where to go can make all the difference. A simple neighborhood stroll or visit to the park are great go-to options. But if you're looking for something a little more out of the box, I've gathered a list of some favorite trails in the area that are accessible to everyone.

  • Bike paths 
    • Rutland has two bike path sections that are easy ways to get outside this Fall. 
      • Earl St – West St: Park at Giorgetti Arena and head back toward Crescent Street to the end of Earl Street. The bike path is only a couple of blocks long, but its wide, quiet, and newly paved so is an easy surface for pushing a wheelchair or stroller. Turn back when you hit State Street, or cross at the new pedestrian crosswalk there and go another block to West Street before turning back.
      • Howe Center - Amtrak Station: Park at either end of this bike path. It is flat and newly paved, so offers easy access for wheelchairs or strollers. Consider the time of day that you do this one, because it runs right next to the train tracks. If there is a train coming through it might be pretty loud for little ones. Though a train-lover might look at that as a perk rather than a problem!


  • Thundering Brook Falls
    • This trail is only about a half mile long, and is boardwalk for most of the way. It is pretty narrow, so it’s a tight pass when someone is going the other direction, even without a wheelchair or stroller. There are a few pull-off sections though so don’t let that deter you!


  • Quechee Gorge
    • Listed as wheelchair accessible, with a long low grade down to the bottom of the Gorge. Pushing the wheelchair or stroller back up to the top might be a bit of a work-out, but worth it.


  • Castleton Rail Trail
    • 10 miles from start to finish, there is plenty of trail here to keep you occupied. From Castleton we parked at the trailhead on Rte 4A, but a safer bet would be to start from on the Castleton University campus itself. The trail is gravel, so your wheelchair or stroller needs to have good all-terrain wheels. Long, flat, and wide, this is a great one for very young walkers as well. The trail stretches a total of 9 miles from Castleton to the New York/Vermont border, so you can make this as long or as short as you like.


  • Corn maze
    • Consider a corn maze! Some have pretty wide tracks to accommodate large groups, so with a stroller capable of navigating uneven ground, this could be a real winner. Most corn maxes are also connected to working farms, so you can easily combine a wander through the maze with some other family fun.