Accessibility Abounds in Arkansas State Parks
Finding an accessible place to rest your head can sometimes be a challenge, especially when you’re looking for rustic accommodations in the great outdoors. Fortunately more and more regional and state park systems are putting an emphasis on providing accessible facilities. Such is the case in Arkansas, the Natural State.
“Every state park that offers lodging, be it cabins or a lodge, has barrier-free accommodations,” said Greg Butts, Arkansas State Parks director. “And as renovation work continues during the next few years, there will be even more accessible facilities available.”
Take Petit Jean State Park, for example. Originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, the cabins in this park were not built to be accessible. Today, however, they have been retrofitted, and one rustic and four duplex cabins are now wheelchair-accessible. Both cabin types offer fireplaces and fully equipped kitchens. Additionally, the park’s Mather Lodge has been outfitted with two accessible rooms; one with two double beds, the other with a queen. Both have views of the surrounding woods and satellite television.
Over in Lake Catherine State Park, access is also a top priority with the newly constructed Polly Crews cabin. Opened in 2004, this fully equipped, two-bedroom cabin is built in the style of the other historic Civilian Conservation Corps-constructed facilities at the park; however it features barrier-free access, a hydraulic bed lift and a bathroom with a roll-in shower. The cabin also includes a barrier-free fishing pier on the lake.
Arkansas boasts a whopping 52 state parks throughout the state. Visit www.arkansasstateparks.com for more information about them.
And for detailed information about accessible lodging, trails, fishing piers and recreational opportunities throughout the Natural State, be sure and read the “Naturally Arkansas” feature in the Spring 2008 issue of Emerging Horizons.