Accessible Adirondacks
When Jason Thurston stays at his favorite Adirondack campground, he can participate in activities that are out of reach for him in other outdoor spaces.
He can travel down trails to scenic overlooks or a backcountry lake. He can sleep in a leanto at night and cook over an open fire. He particularly loves to watch the sunset from an observation deck overlooking the lake.
“To wake up and hear the loons and the birds is just so peaceful,” he said.
For Thurston, camping is no easy task: He’s a quadriplegic who uses a power wheelchair to get around. But thanks to the accessible facilities at International Paper-John Dillon Park in Long Lake, he can spend days in the wild and watch night fall beside a campfire.
The fully accessible campground, open from late May through late October, is owned by International Paper, staffed mostly by Paul Smith’s College students, and funded through an endowment from the pulp and paper company.
It’s one of several options for people with disabilities who want to enjoy the Adirondack wilderness.
‘For everyone’
Many state campgrounds and wild areas offer varying levels of access to people with disabilities. Some may offer accessible parking and trails, while others have accessible campsites and bathrooms. There are permits for accessible roads to accessible backcountry campsites in remote areas like the Essex Chain of Lakes, south of Newcomb. There are also special programs to enable hunting and fishing.
The various programs make exploring parts of the Adirondacks possible for those
