Open spaces offer recreation options for the disabled
Playground, several paved trails throughout East Bay district are wheelchair-accessible
A reader who uses a wheelchair asked if I could write something about accessibility in the East Bay Regional Park District. Although there’s always room for improvement, the regional parks do offer many opportunities for wheelchair recreation.
Much is on hold now because of the coronavirus pandemic, but many district parks have barrier-free parking, picnic areas, restrooms, drinking fountains, trails and visitor centers. Roberts Regional Recreation Area in the Oakland hills has a barrier-free, wheelchair- accessible children’s play area, designed so kids with all levels of disability, or none, can play together. What follows are some other suggestions.
The park district’s paved, interpark regional trails are generally wheelchair-friendly. These include the Big Break Regional Trail in Oakley, Iron Horse Trail between Concord and Pleasanton; the Contra Costa Canal Trail, which follows the canal from Martinez through Walnut Creek and Concord; the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail; sections of trail along the East Bay shoreline at McLaughlin State Park in Albany and Berkeley; Crown Beach in Alameda; and the Alameda Creek Regional Trail in Fremont.
The George Miller Jr. Regional Trail on Carquinez Scenic Drive between Martinez and Port Costa is paved for a mile- anda-half, free of motor vehicles and features beautiful views of Carquinez Strait. Those square concrete pads you’ll see at intervals alongside the trail are designed so wheelchair users can roll aside to rest. Parking may be problematic, though, as it’s roadside at the east end with just a small lot at the west end.
Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area in Walnut Creek is wheelchairaccessible, as is its swimming pool in its open season. Also accessible are the pools at Roberts and at Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch. When the swim season resumes, beach wheelchairs will be available at the park district’s swimming lakes and at Crown Beach. Point Pinole Regional Shoreline in Richmond is also a good bet. The park is mostly flat, and there’s a paved trail from the entrance parking lots out to the pier, which is disabled- accessible. It’s a great place to go on hot summer days.
Speaking of piers, there are also disabledaccessible fishing piers at Lake Temescal in Oakland and Quarry Lakes in Fremont. Though closed now due to the coronavirus pandemic, a number of park district visitor centers are normally disabled- accessible. These include Crab Cove in Alameda and the Environmental Education Center at Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley. There’s more about accessible facilities in the regional parks at the park district’s webpage, ebparks. org/parks/accessibility.
Also on the website are some adventures suggested by Bob Coomber, aka 4WheelBob, a wheelchair hiker- extraordinaire and motivational speaker who hasn’t let his wheelchair slow down his explorations of the regional parks and other public open spaces. To read Bob’s stories on the district’s website, visit ebparks.org/activities/ hiking/ bobcoomber. Before you go, for up-todate information on COVID-19 closures, check ebparks.org/news/covid_ 19_ park_ and_ trail_ updates.htm at the top of any page on the park district’s website.