Those who enjoy taking the scenic path in life rejoice at the start of summer, as the warm weather makes hiking a popular outdoor activity. However, for those with limited mobility, accessing trails and experiencing the wonders of nature can be difficult.

According to the Virginia State Parks website, many state park trails “are open to wheelchairs, including manual and power wheelchairs, personal mobility assistive scooters and certain other similar devices designed primarily to assist people with disabilities.”

The site does caution individuals to carefully select trails since many were designed for foot traffic only and terrain may be unsuitable for personal mobility devices.

Parks with accessible trails include Bear Creek Lake, Belle Isle, Chippokes, Claytor Lake, First Landing, James River, Kiptopeke, Lake Anna, Leesylvania, Mason Neck, Southwest Virginia Museum, Natural Tunnel, New River Trail, Pocahontas, Machicomoco and Westmoreland.Machicomoco, located on Timberneck ...