Accessibility

Accessibility

GoCoCo was created out of a desire to help people find the experiences that suit them best. Columbia County is home to so many fabulous outdoor places, but it can be hard to determine if those places meet your needs.

On GoCoCo, you can search for:

• Accessible trails – please note, this is based on descriptions provided by the organizations. Please contact the organization listed as site manager for more detailed information.
  
  
• Sites with restrooms – sometimes these are permanent facilities, sometimes they are portable toilets.
  
  
• Sites with seating such as picnic tables and benches.

Accessibility at Columbia Land Conservancy properties

• Restrooms: Portable toilets will be available at Ooms and Overmountain from May – August 2025. Stay tuned for more information!

• Service dogs: Dogs are allowed at all CLC properties. Please keep all dogs on a leash, and remove any waste.

• Signage and wayfinding: Signage at all properties adheres to the accessibility guidelines for signage in the National Parks. Signs are printed in English and Spanish.

• Social stories: Each CLC property includes pre-populated social stories that can be downloaded prior to heading out on the trail.  

• Trail maps and guides: Trail maps adhere to large-print standards, and include information about each trail’s width, cross-slope, grade, and surface. What does those terms mean? A standard ramp is at an 8.3% grade. A higher grade means a steeper hill. Cross slope measures the unevenness of a trail. A greater slope means a more uneven trail.

• Birdability “Through education, outreach and advocacy, Birdability works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody. We focus on people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing or who have other health concerns. In addition to current birders, we strive to introduce birding to people with disabilities and other health concerns who are not yet birders so they too can experience the joys of birding.”

• Body Liberation Club – Capital Region “This is a space free of diet and weight loss culture for folks of all genders who struggle—or have struggled—with giving themselves permission to enjoy nature and outdoor movement. Body Liberation Outdoor Club (BLOC) is blazing past the gatekeepers of the outdoor industry who, for so long, have shunned body diversity and visibility during recreation. We choose to view such activities as pure enjoyment, free of competition or comparison. The BLOC community reveres those who live in marginalized bodies and empowers them to affirm the value they possess as their unique selves.”

• Disabled Hikers “Disabled Hikers is an entirely Disabled-led organization. We celebrate disabled people’s experiences in the outdoors. We help facilitate those experiences with information, resources, and events, including trail guides and group hikes. We are also committed advocates for justice, access, and inclusion, and work with parks, organizations, brands, and more. with disabled hikers and our allies, we are committed to making the outdoors accessible to all. We aim to accomplish this through community, resources, and action.”

• Venture Out Project “The Venture Out Project leads backpacking and wilderness trips for the queer and transgender community. We also conduct transgender inclusion workshops for educators, adventure professionals, summer camps and more!”

Public transportation

• New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Where You Can Go By Bus or Train “Looking for easy-to-access trailheads using mass transit? Try searching our Database of Hikes and select the Public Transportation icon.”

Creating welcoming spaces

• New York Outdoor Recreation Coalition “The Open Spaces for All report is a blueprint for creating welcoming, accessible outdoor experiences in New York State’s parks and open spaces and contains community and state level recommendations to improve equity and access for visitors to New York’s parks and open spaces.”