About this Guide
The state of Washington has long been a leader in providing accessible outdoor recreation.
The accessible sites listed in this guide are managed by the Washington State Parks and
Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Forest Service, and the Olympic National Park. Local or privately managed
recreation sites are not included in the listing (except in a few cases where state
grant funds were used to develop a site).
These sites were constructed using current design practices, Access Board guidelines
and Final Rules, or State building code standards and recommendations from
recreationists with disabilities. Levels of accessibility vary from site to site. Questions
regarding specific sites should be addressed to the appropriate agency (see below).
Note: The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued "minimum Access Standards" at this time in
the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) do not
specifically include all types of recreational facilities found in this publication. The
federal Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is
responsible for developing minimum accessibility guidelines under the ADA for new
construction and renovation of facilities, which are the basis for Access Standards
adopted by DOJ. The Access Board has issued "Final Rules" with the minimum
scoping and technical guidelines for construction of some recreational facilities, and
expects to issue a "Proposed Rule" for Outdoor Developed Areas by the end of 2003.
These will serve as the basis for the Access standards when published by DOJ as
enforceable standards under the ADA. Until that time, one practice of the agencies
is to refer to the Access Board issued guidelines for recreational facilities when
constructing or renovating outdoor recreation facilities.
Background
In 1993, at the request of the Washington State Office of Financial Management, the
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission convened a meeting of the State Natural
Resource Agencies, which included (in addition to State Parks) the Interagency
Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC), the Department of Natural Resources
(DNR),and the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Together, these agencies, along with the USDA Forest Service and citizens with
disabilities, formed the Accessibility Task Force to coordinate a special $400,000
appropriation to make barrier-free improvements to outdoor recreation
facilities. The task force identified and funded projects that would provide the
agencies an opportunity to demonstrate efficiency and cost savings by working on
joint proposals for barrier-free access.
In the 1995-97 biennium, and again in the 1997-99 biennium, the State Office of
Financial Management appropriated over $1.2 million each biennia for the task force
agencies to continue their effort. None of these funds were spent on USDA Forest
Service or National Park Service sites. The Forest Service and Olympic National Park
information is included in this guide for your convenience.
Funds from the appropriation were set aside to publish this guide in 1999. Within, the
natural resource agencies have attempted to list sites that have some element of
accessibility -- those funded with the special appropriations, and those funded from other
sources as well. Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in
this guide is current and accurate, changing conditions may affect the availability of sites.
In 2003 IAC funded the printing of this guide. State Parks provided the graphic
production and continues to host and update this guide on the web site.
How To Use The Guide
You may select a region from the list above.
The general locations for recreation sites are shown as numbered dots
on the maps for each region. For detailed information on a particular site, click
the number found on the map to jump to the site listing in the accompanying
directory. Alternatively, you may scroll down the page to find the same information.
A key to symbology can be found under the map on each set of directory
pages.