Oregon’s Accessible Adventures Offer Outdoor Fun for All: Guest Post by Melissa Hart

          Years ago, my husband and I thought it would be fun to take my younger brother Mark—who has Down syndrome—snowshoeing up at Gold Lake Sno-Park 90 minutes from my home in Eugene. He loved bundling up and getting out into the cold air, surrounded by trees and curious gray jays. We planned a three-mile hike to a show shelter and back. But after a mile of leisurely snowshoeing, Mark was cold and tired and ready to be done.

Fortunately, the National Forest Service cabin is open on weekends; we headed in for complimentary hot chocolate and coffee and gathered with on-duty ski patrollers and other snowshoers around a cheery woodstove. The combination of moderate exercise and a fireside drink made for a memorable adventure that my brother still talks about today.

          Plenty of outdoor opportunities exist around Oregon for people who like to take their time exploring and who enjoy a smooth, flat hiking trail and an accessible camping spot and a little extra help getting in and out of a kayak. Here are some of my favorite slow-mobility Oregon adventures:

For Hikers

The Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area near Newport has paved paths overlooking the coast; one leads to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. As you drive in, request a space at the accessible parking area at Quarry Cove to get up close and personal with seals bobbing near the shore.

South of Yaquina, wander the flat paths on the Siltcoos River Lagoon Loop Trail with flocks of resident ducks, osprey, Bald eagles, and impressively-large banana slugs.

Near Coos Bay, you can stroll around the flower gardens and the Japanese Garden and Lily Pond at Shore Acres State Park. Bonus: Each November and December, Shore Acres creates an outdoor holiday display of 325,000 LED lights guaranteed to delight visitors of all ages.

If you–like my brother–loathe walking in soft sand, check out the Mobi-Mats at beaches up and down the coast. The mats stretch from parking lots to shorelines so that people like my brother can get to the ocean easily. You can find Mobi-Mats along seven miles of coastline near Lincoln City and also in Astoria, from mid-May to October.

Prefer a wheelchair? A dozen locations on the Oregon coast offer chairs with chunky tires that roll right over the sand. And the nonprofit David’s Chair has electric all-terrain track chairs in various locations throughout Oregon so explorers can enjoy the state’s beaches and forests in comfort. Their Tow ‘N Go program allows you to reserve a trailer and a chair to pick up and tow to your favorite campground or hotel, up to a week.

For Kayakers

Oregon’s coastal parks have ADA-compliant ramps which lead down to accessible kayak and canoe launches. The Port of Alsea near Waldport has a floating accessible launch; paddlers can easily get into their watercraft and push off toward the calm Alsea and Yachats rivers.

 Check out the set up at Seaside’s Broadway Park which provides accessible access to the Necanicum River. And marvel at the Eel Lake boat ramp near at William M. Tugman State Park near Reedsport where visitors use steps and railings to lower themselves into a kayak and paddle the freshwater lake. There’s an ADA-compliant kayak launch at John Topits Park in Coos Bay, as well—it leads to the tranquil Empire Lakes.

ADA-compliant boat tours in Depoe Bay enable all visitors to take educational whale watching trips and go salmon fishing. Need more speed? Guided jet-boat tours of the Rogue River are wheelchair accessible; visitors will delight in spotting eagles, river otters, and bears.

For Anglers

An ADA-accessible ramp in  Rockaway Beach leads to 65-acre Lake Lytle stocked with trout, bass and perch. At Tahkenitch Landing south of Florence, you’ll find a ramp  down to the edge of Tahkenitch Lake packed with largemouth bass, salmon and trout.

Farther south, the Port of Bandon Riverwalk has a fishing pier with ramps and railings so that all anglers have a chance to catch rockfish and perch from the Coquille River.

For Campers

Oregon offers many accessible campgrounds for people like my little brother who aren’t fond of sleeping on the cold ground in a flimsy tent. Yurts and cabins at South Beach State Park south of Newport, at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park near Winchester Bay and at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings enable adventurers to relax in heated spaces with a bed and a table and patio from which to watch wildlife.

With so many accessible opportunities for outdoor recreation, you’ll be able to plan an exciting and memorable summer.

Melissa Hart is the author, most recently, of Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ Stories of Disability and Determination (Sourcebooks, 2025). Catch her and Portland activist Karen Gaffney at Powell’s Books on Burnside on Sunday, June 8^th, at 3 PM.