Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area

Location: Phoenix

The name Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area does not sound all too inviting, but being as I live in Phoenix and the the park ranger's e-mail says it is accessible I figured I would swing by.

Wow! Good job Phoenix. This is a nice little sanctuary and it's also got some excellent wheeler trails.

Basically the city restored a a five mile stretch of the dried up Salt River just south of downtown Phoenix. This once deteriorated dump site is now a lush "riparian" (google it if you need a refresher) environment. The trail system takes you through various habitats that include a wetland and waterfalls.

Thus far, I've visited twice. The upper pond is 100% accessible (shown in all 3 photos). I also traversed a fairly steep asphalt trail down into the river bottom where I came to the first wetland habitat. This is not too accessible and thats really unfortunate. There is a pond full of ducks and other various birds and the trees and vegetation are a striking change from the surrounding desert, but the main trail doesn't get you close enough to water. Rock paths lead to the water's edge, and with quite a bit of assistance I went around the entire pond.

If you have a power chair the terrain would be ok, but manual chairs with 4" casters wont find this too much fun. What is really needed is one or two concrete viewing stations where a chair can get to the water and view left to right. We are in a flood zone so I know we can not build something too grand, but I suspect there something that could be done, and no doubt everyone would use it.

I'm yet too travel the paths that take you around the habitat. Thats next.

Sabino Canyon

LOCATION: Southern Arizona

Sabino Canyon is an Arizona State Park, and it’s one of the reasons I started Accessing Arizona. It is a rather unknown yet remarkably beautiful desert canyon featuring a rare little creek running through it. The main walking trail is actually a paved road that meanders through shady trees, water pools, rock outcroppings and desert canyons. The combination makes for a mighty tranquil trail. The desert mountain scenery is spectacular, but the courteous service the Park’s people provide and the well-planned accessibility make Sabino Canyon a very worth wild place to visit.

The parking lot is at the bottom of the canyon. You have two choices at this point. You can walk or push your way to the top which is a 3-mile trek, or you can jump on their accessible tram for about $6. The route has 8 stops before you reach the top. Your ticket allows you to get on and off as you please.

We took the tram to the 4th stop. Currently you can not ride it higher due to a flood last year. One of their trams has a slick hydraulic lift that loads you comfortable into the back. You have to sit by yourself in the back, but it’s easy to chat with friends in the bench seat ahead of you. Even if all you do is ride up to the top and come back, it’s worth the price.


We unloaded and then casually strolled (and rolled) back to Stop 1. It is a little steep in places and my gloves were smoking from braking, but it is not a constant slope and the path is basically a 2-lane road, so it is easy to execute a controlled descent.

Our walk was about 1 ½ miles. We went across some really fun forges. A forge allows the water to run over the road, so I was crossing a creek for the first time in quite a while. My legged compadres were walking though the pools and climbing on the boulders each time we crisscrosssed the creek. There is a few inclines that I had some assistance pushing up so I would not suggest coming alone unless you’re an in-shape para.

There is plenty to photograph. The plant life and rock clusters are all along the canyon walls which allow chair users to get a unique perspective. We reloaded the tram at Stop 1 and headed back to the main station. Because the upper canyon is closed, the tram detoured and took us on the 2-mile tour of Bear Canyon Trail. This route is equally beautiful.

Sabino Canyon is unique. I’m yet to find an accessible trail in the desert that offers this much. If the weather is nice, plan on spending a half day here.

www.sabinocanyon.com

Tombstone, Arizona

Tombstone Arizona probably wasn’t too accessible 100 years ago when it made a name for itself. Today, tourism has replaced gambling and shootouts, and Tombstone can be toured from a wheelchair. They'll even hang you and your chair for a small donation!

You can still find Doc and Wyatt and some pretty authentic cowboys strolling through Allen Street. Both sides of the famous dirt road have wood planked sidewalks that you can traverse easily. I entered all of the saloons and shops along the way. Parking is nearby and free, and the townsfolk put on some good, if not humorous reenactments.

Perhaps the most interesting tourist attraction is to watch the modern day cowboys or desperados rolling into town on their Harleys, choppers and hogs. You can just imagine their ancestors coming down the street all decked out in their leathers with that same “give me a beer” attitude. Its almost poetic to see a saloon surrounded by bikes out front, and Kid Rock and Bob Seager blaring through the double-hinged doors. At least I don't have to worry about rolling through anything smelly.

Beware! There is a number of street vendors promoting a side show that features a talented great-grandma on a horse and a petting zoo type of thing. The one vendor assured me it was plenty accessible. I got about 1/5th of the way down a rocky dirt road to the arena and said this is total bull hunky (ie BS). Save your spasms and angst as this isn’t for wheelers. My legged friends went and the kids had a ball, but stick to the saloons during this gig.

For family fun, I’d actually suggest Trail Dust Town in Tucson, but Tombstone is historical, fun and plenty accessible. Southern Arizona has some great scenic drives, and there is a few vineyards I want to visit soon as well. .

www.tombstone.org

Trail Dust Town

Pure commercial tourist attractions are not my favorite to blog about. In fact it is a chore to even get them actually published. But even I go to a few because kids and visiting relatives enjoy the psuedo-native culture they portray.

If you are in Tucson, and you have kids and or a craving for a darn good steak, think about going by Trail Dust Town. It is one very accessible cow town. We went in search of a steak and had a root toot’n good time.

For starters, the place isn’t too big. It has wooden boardwalks and the entire main street is made of red brick. Its very easy to get close-by (free) parking and its easy to keep your eyes on kids. Having been to both Tombstone and here, I’d say this is a much easier place to get a dose of cowboy fun. If your looking for history and authenticity, head down to Tombstone, but I can promise you that a 5-year old doesn’t know the difference.

www.traildusttown.com