Recreation guide to barrier-free facilities, Southwestern national forests

78 Pages·1994·8 MB·English

Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.
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United States PREPARED BY Southwestern
Department of Forest Region
Agriculture Service
United States
Department of
Agriculture
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National Agricultural Library
NOTE
This is an INTERIM GUIDE. The National Forests in the Region are now in
the process of performing systematic site evaluations of all developed
recreation sites. During 1993 and 1994, all elements of each site will be
surveyed using a standardized set of forms based on the Americans With
Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). These evaluations will
give a uniform interpretation of what is accessible and will address various
challenge levels in a standardized way. In contrast, this interim guide is
based more on individual interpretations of various guidelines such as the
Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), and nota standardized set
of forms or definitions. It is probable that interpretations vary from site to
site. Future updates of this publication will provide more uniform data.
Printed on recycled paper 9/93.
Contents
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| _U .S. DEPT, OF AGRICULTURE _
NATIONAL AGRICULTUFA . LIBRARY]
AUG I 7 1994
CATALOGING PREP
Introduction
This brochure offers accessibility information about recreation
facilities and Forest Service offices in the Southwestern Region. Only
sites which have barrier-free facilities have been included. This
information is provided for persons who wish to know about such
facilities and is intended to help persons with various skill levels to
gauge their own capability to use a particular area. We hope this will
help provide equal access information to people with sensory and
mobility impairments and encourage the independent enjoyment of
their national forest facilities.
This information is not intended to suggest that customers could
not access other sites or facilities. Forest visitors have diverse interests,
backgrounds and abilities; preference between developed or undevel-
oped sites may have little to do with apparent handicaps.. Many
recreation sites in the national forests have fairly level terrain and could
be accessible to various customers, especially for those who have an
assistant or can travel the more rugged areas. Although site accessibil-
ity is contingent on characteristics of each site, we are striving to
provide a full range of recreational opportunity for the different levels of
accessibility required to meet the needs of a diverse population.
Diverse facilities encourage the safe use of all areas by anyone willing
to take on a particular level of challenge and includes people of all
abilities for participation.
This information was solicited from ranger district personnel,
reviewed by forest supervisor’s office personnel and when possible,
verified by outside groups and concerned parties. It is possible that this
edition may have errors or inaccuracies, and we encourage readers to
contact individual ranger districts for updated information.
Partnerships
As the nation’s population and available leisure time increases,
demand for developed recreation areas has also increased. This __
increased demand, along with agency budget restraints, has created a
backlog of recreation facility needs. The Forest Service is striving to
meet the public’s needs, which includes consideration for families with
small children, senior citizens and people who are physically or
developmentally challenged. Partnerships will play an important role
in helping us face the challenge to seek creative approaches and new
ideas in making the outdoors accessible to everyone.
1
The Forest Service is encouraging everyone to join us in a recrea-
tion initiative. We invite individuals, organizations, and private
companies to join in partnership with us to provide improved recrea-
tion opportunities. Wheelchair accessible facilities are also enjoyed by
parents with small children, senior citizens, people with temporary
impairments due to injury or pregnancy, and people who experience
permanent impairments such as reliance on walking aids, loss of sight,
difficulty in standing or bending, limitations of stamina and other
limitations. We encourage anyone who can offer ideas, labor, materi-
als, or finances to contact us and join us in providing barrier-free
facilities for those who might otherwise be restricted from participation
in experiencing their national forests.
Welcome to the Southwest!
Strikingly different from most of the United States, the Southwestern
Region of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, includes
11 national forests and three national grasslands in Arizona, New
Mexico, western Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle. Its 21 million
acres are typically the coolest, best-watered areas in this arid land.
The Southwest offers many recreation opportunities along with a
longer vacation season than most states, making tourism a major
economic force year-round. Millions of Americans enjoy camping,
picnicking, scenic drives, hunting, fishing, hiking, climbing, skiing,
water sports, windsurfing and traveling in their national forests.
Because you know your own capabilities better than anyone else,
we present the following information about barrier-free facilities to help
you decide for yourself whether or not an area will be useable.
User Fees And Reservations
Use fees are charged for many of the recreation sites listed on the
following pages. Camping fees range from $4 to $12 for family sites
and vary at group sites. Group permits are often required. Information
about permits or fees is available at ranger stations and posted at
recreation sites. All groups planning to occupy a forest area should
check with the ranger district office.
Reservations can be made for some recreation sites through the
reservation system. Areas available for reservation are indicated on the
following pages. The toll-free number is 1-800-280-CAMP (2267).
Toll-free service for hearing or speech impaired persons is available.
The Text Telephone (TT) number is 1-800-879-4496. Hours to call
are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (PDT) and weekends
from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations can be made up to 120 days in
advance for single family units and 360 days in advance for group sites.
Handicap sites can be reserved when such facilities are available.
Many sites are still operated on a first-come, first-served basis. How-
ever, visitors may contact the appropriate ranger district office to
inquire about concessionaires or campground hosts who may allow
reservations.
Concession Campgrounds
Several campgrounds are operated by private concessionaires
under special-use permits. The Forest Service regulates concession-
aires’ operations so that they meet Forest Service policy and standards,
including review and approval of fees and services. Golden Age,
Golden Access, and Golden Eagle Passports are honored at all conces-
sionaire operated campgrounds.
Federal Recreation Passport Program
Lifetime entrance passes to national parks, monuments, historic
sites, recreation areas, and wildlife refuges are available to certain
segments of the population. People over 62 years of age can purchase
a Golden Age Passport for $10 which offers them a 50 percent discount
on campground use fees. Golden Access Passports offer the same
discount to disabled people but are provided free of charge. Either
passport admits the permit holder and all accompanying passengers in
a single, private, noncommercial vehicle. Golden Age and Golden
Access Passports are available at Forest Service offices, national parks
and monuments, and federal information centers. Applicants must
apply in person and provide proof of age or disability by federal
certificate, driver’s license, or birth certificate as appropriate.
For $25 annually, persons under 62 can purchase Golden Eagle
Passports, which allow them the same unlimited entry to federal fee -
areas that Golden Age and Golden Access Passports provide. Golden
Eagle Passports can also be purchased at Forest Service offices, national
parks and monuments, and federal information centers.
Know and Obey the Rules
Many visitors unknowingly “love the land to death.” Please leave
each place, as much as possible, without a trace of your visit. Once
damaged, some plants and soil may not recover for 50-100 years.
Rules and regulations are posted in recreation areas and are available at
Forest Service offices. These regulations help protect our natural
resources.
Also available are brochures and interpretive programs to help you
better understand and enjoy your national forests. Such programs are
available at five visitor centers and at most ranger stations.
Wilderness
The Southwestern National Forests include 52 wildernesses and 1
primitive area, totaling nearly 2.9 million acres (see maps oft he
individual forest for name of each). These areas are dedicated to
preservation of our national heritage in its natural state. When visiting
a wilderness, please use a no-trace ethic, leaving the wilderness setting
the same as you found it when you arrived.
Wilderness recreation requires the assumption of responsibility for
one’s own safety and well-being as well as for the land itself. Pets are
generally allowed in wilderness areas. However, they may be bother-
some or dangerous to wildlife or other visitors. As such, pets must be
kept under your control at all times. Motorized equipment, mechanical
transport, resorts or commercial developments are not allowed in
wilderness areas. Activities such as grazing, mining and building trails
are sometimes authorized. Wheelchairs, used as a necessary medical
appliance, are allowed in wilderness areas and are not included in the
mechanical transport restriction. Commercial outfitting and guiding are
permitted and allows many people with various levels of skill and
ability to visit a wilderness area safely.
Wilderness areas provide many recreation opportunities for use
and enjoyment by people who are willing to take on a particular level
of challenge. Anyone able and willing, may travel over the many trails
available. You can hunt, fish, climb, camp or relax amidst undisturbed
beauty. Permits are not required to visit a wilderness area. However,
the wildlife in wilderness areas remains the property of the state and is
governed by appropriate state laws. Hunting and fishing permits must
be obtained through the appropriate state procedures.
Maps
By mail or in person, you can purchase detailed maps of national
forests, national grasslands and national forest wilderness areas from
the appropriate national forest headquarters or the Forest Service’s
Southwestern Regional Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For a
listing of available maps, including scale and cost, write: USDA Forest
Service; Public Affairs Office; 517 Gold Avenue, SW; Albuquerque,
NM 87102; [phone].
Notes About Recreation Site Information
The following information contains narrative site descriptions,
followed by a map and chart which lists recreation sites under their
appropriate ranger districts. To eliminate redundancy of wheelchair
accessibility information, the word “accessible” has been used to imply
a wheelchair designed facility and unless otherwise noted, shall also
mean suitable wheelchair access to the facility. Restrooms in most
Cases are pit toilets with no wash facilities. Those restrooms in offices
and visitor centers will usually have flush toilets and wash facilities.
Numbers listed under camp and picnic columns indicate the
number of “family units”. A “family unit” accommodates a group of
approximately 5 people. Numbers listed on sites marked as G (group
camping), GP (group picnicking) or GPC (group camping and picnick-
ing) indicate the number of group areas. Many group areas require -
reservations.
“Season of use” is an estimate of when the site will be open and
services provided. Weather, road or site repair, agency funding, and
many other factors can alter these dates and trigger closures. If you
need definite dates, check with the appropriate Forest Service office.
If you’re driving a large motor home, trailer or camper, heed road
condition warnings and recommendations on maximum length for
camp trailers. Forest Service campgrounds aren’t normally equipped
with utility hookups. Sanitary disposal stations and centralized water
hydrants are provided at many campgrounds. Direct connections are ~
permitted only at a few individual family units equipped for hookups.
Information identified in the accessibility portion of the chart
indicates that the facility has been designed or retrofitted for wheelchair