Disabled Hikers

Disabled Hikers Building disability community and justice in the outdoors. Trail guides, resources, events, advocacy. Pacific Northwest based national community.

Entirely disability-led, grounded in disability justice principles. Share your story! DisabledHikers.com

We talk with many park staff, trail designers, and others who think that making something "wheelchair accessible" means ...
08/31/2026

We talk with many park staff, trail designers, and others who think that making something "wheelchair accessible" means it is automatically accessible to everyone of every type of disability. This is false.

It's not even true for all wheelchair users. The type of wheelchair, an individual's degree of mobility, experience with outdoor recreation, and more are all factors in whether a trail is actually accessible.

There is no one size fits all to accessibility. Unfortunately, the ways in which accessibility standards were created prioritized one type of accessibility with the belief that it was a "baseline" for access for all. It is stereotyping of wheelchair users and a disservice to all disabled people.

For example, there are trails that I can do with my wheelchair, that I could never do on foot. There are trails that full time wheelchair users do that I can't, with a wheelchair or not.

This is also becoming true with "universal design" - the emphasis remains on a limited understanding of physical/mobility disability and everyone else is an "add on".

This is why projects must always include cross-disability leadership from the very start.

We are looking forward to our next gathering in Oakland! Join us at Reinhardt Redwoods Regional Park for a stroll n roll...
08/28/2026

We are looking forward to our next gathering in Oakland! Join us at Reinhardt Redwoods Regional Park for a stroll n roll beneath the redwoods. Open to anyone who is disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent and your family, friends, and caregivers. Wheelchair accessible and masks are required (unless your disability prevents it).

We have scheduled a shuttle bus that will pick up from the BART station, reserved a few parking spots, and can offer some transportation stipends.

Get the full details and register where the clicks are found!

Its National Park Week! One of the shifts that I think we need, is for more people to understand, respect, and act like ...
08/24/2026

Its National Park Week! One of the shifts that I think we need, is for more people to understand, respect, and act like national parks are homes. 🏡

These places are not living museums, tourist attractions, or places to extract experiences or resources out of.

These places have been, are, and will forever be ancestral homelands for Indigenous people.

These places are home for countless plants, animals, fungi, waters, and more.

These places are home for many people who live and work in and around the parks. (Such as myself)

By remembering these places are homes, we can act like good guests when we visit.

Would you accept someone's home being trashed? Being torn down for mining or logging? Would you accept people being hurt? Would you go into someone's home and act like everything belongs to you and you can do anything you want?

If we can remember that these places, this earth, is a home then maybe we can all learn to be in a better relationship with people and place, and stop the damage being caused.

ID: text on a background photo reads national parks are a home. Act like good guests. Photo of evergreen tree tops with fog.

Did you miss our initial pre-order of Jimothy merch? You're in luck! We have extra t-shirts, posters, and stickers avail...
08/21/2026

Did you miss our initial pre-order of Jimothy merch? You're in luck! We have extra t-shirts, posters, and stickers available.

We even have discounted shirts. The first run printed a little bit smaller than we wanted, so we're offering them for 20. We have a few of the regular print run too. You can also get a 12 x 16 print or 4 inch sticker.

The hand drawn artwork by Rebecca Lexa is of Jimothy, a round little raccoon with no neck and short spine wearing a red bandana and holding a hiking stick. Ribbons above and below read disability is natural.

1) a poster of the design. 2) a tshirt of the design 3) the design with text around reading get a Jimothy t-shirt, poster, or sticker and support Disabled Hikers. Coming soon embroidery pattern. Order now.

Today is National Nonprofit Day. As a small, underfunded organization we need community support.Our impact is tangible a...
08/17/2026

Today is National Nonprofit Day. As a small, underfunded organization we need community support.

Our impact is tangible and has directly contributed to cultural shifts and increased accessibility over the past years. Yet we continue to do the most with the least.

If you have learned from us, been inspired by our work, or believe that supporting leadership of the most inpacted is important, please support our work.

ID to follow on each caption.

Did you know that Syren, the founder of Disabled Hikers, wrote the first guidebooks for the cross-disability community t...
08/12/2026

Did you know that Syren, the founder of Disabled Hikers, wrote the first guidebooks for the cross-disability community to EVER be published? And by the largest outdoor publisher in the world?

We are coming up on the two and four year anniversaries for The Disabled Hiker's Guides!

These books provide detailed information and an objective rating system for a variety of access needs and types of disabilities. They include scenic drives, a variety of wheelchair accessible/hikeable trails depending on your equipment and needs, and foot trails for disabled hikers. There are also scenic viewpoints and places to just enjoy nature.

You can get them from us or anywhere you like to get books!

The Disabled Hiker's Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and on foot was published in 2022. It covers areas from the Cascade crest in WA and OR, west to the coast.

The Disabled Hiker's Guide to Northern California: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and on foot was published in 2024. It covers areas from Monterey Bay, east to the Sierra and north to the state line.

Oakland! Our group hike at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park has been rescheduled for September 19!Join us for an accessib...
08/11/2026

Oakland! Our group hike at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park has been rescheduled for September 19!

Join us for an accessible, casual hike beneath the redwoods. Masks required, transportation stipends available, and we are working on a shuttle bus to the park.

You know where to go for details and to sign up!

ID: text on a green background with a photo in the center. Text reads Disabled Hikers group hike Reinhardt Redwoods Park Oakland. September 19 11:00am. Photo from behind of a group of disabled folks on the paved trail, two using wheelchairs four walking. The Disabled Hikers logo is in the bottom left and East Bay Regional Parks logo in bottom right.

Did you know that the Americans with Disabilities Act only requires ONE accessible parking spot per TWENTY-FIVE spots? A...
08/04/2026

Did you know that the Americans with Disabilities Act only requires ONE accessible parking spot per TWENTY-FIVE spots? And only one of every six of those has to be van accessible? This is absurd, considering at least 25% of people have a disability.

25 years of driving, a lifetime of having "qualifying conditions", including multiple disability-related injuries that meant I could not walk, and I just got my first disabled parking tag. To get a tag, your doctor has to approve and sign paperwork. Many won't, especially if you are young or don't "look like" you need it.

There are also arguments within the disability community about who "deserves" to use accessible parking, restrooms, etc. Instead of gatekeeping accessibility and arguing about who is "disabled enough" let's turn that energy to advocating for more access for everyone. We deserve better than a single parking spot or toilet. The scarcity is the point - let's stop letting them use it to divide us. ~Syren

ID: a blue disabled parking hang tag

Its the last day of Disability Pride Month! We want to hear from you, especially non-disabled allies and organizations, ...
07/31/2026

Its the last day of Disability Pride Month! We want to hear from you, especially non-disabled allies and organizations, how are you continuing Disability Pride throughout the year? How are you committing to improving access and belonging, fighting for disability rights, and supporting Disabled leadership? Let us know what your goals are, so others can learn too!

If you're not sure, Disabled Hikers can help. Check out the Work with Us page on our site.

Happy Disability Pride Month to all, and we hope for a bonus spoon day and a brand new accessibility feature at your favorite spot for all of our Disabled community! 🥄👩‍🦼👨‍🦯

ID: photo collage with 7 photos in frames. Five are group photos of disabled folks outdoors. One is of Jimothy the raccoon and another is a single photo of Syren. Text box in the center reada happy Disability Pride Month how are you continuing Pride all year? Background of the disability pride flag.

We've been super busy, so are extending the pre-order deadline until Monday August 3!Get this adorable, hand drawn Jimot...
07/30/2026

We've been super busy, so are extending the pre-order deadline until Monday August 3!

Get this adorable, hand drawn Jimothy art created for us by Rebecca Lexa, Naturalist on a shirt, sticker, or poster. It features Jimothy, a round little raccoon with a short spine and no neck, holding a walking stick and wearing a red bandana. Text on a ribbon surrounding him reads disability is natural.

A few FAQs: we can't ship international, sorry! These are not drop-shipped and its too expensive and time consuming for us. We don't have a digital download for you to print at home. We will have a download able embroidery design soon though! We also can't change the shirts or prints beyond the current ordering options.

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1033 Old Blyn Hwy
Sequim, WA
98382

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