- Grassroots Advocacy Manager Annie Streit asked our Outdoor Access Working Group members to tell us their favorite wheelchair-accessible beaches, and they did not disappoint!
- Additionally, they share their must-have amenities and environmental factors to consider.
- Altogether, they came up with 15 wheelchair-accessible beaches they love and have a few more that they like a whole lot.
Planning a wheelchair-accessible beach trip requires research and planning. A lot of planning. United Spinal’s Outdoor Access Working Group members, make it easier by sharing what makes a beach wheelchair accessible — and the ones they love the most!
When searching for a beach that works for you, remember that some constantly shift due to erosion and changing tides. Be sure to ask about the sand’s texture and the slope of the beach and terrain. Are there dunes, rocks, mud or vegetation growth? What is the water depth, and where does it drop off? And remember to pay attention to the tide schedule.
Also, look for important amenities like van-accessible parking and hard-surface pathways to the beach. Are the concession areas, fishing piers, family bathrooms and showers accessible? Can you get close to the water via beach mats like Access Trax, Mobi-mat, and SeatracUSA?
Are there beach wheelchairs to borrow or lease? Some may be manual, such as those offered by Wheeleez, Lasher Sport BTX and Hippocampe All-Terrain Beach Wheelchair. Others might be power, like Freedom Trax and Trackchair. Find out if there is equipment to enable transfers to any public beach or track chairs.
Three Wheelchair Accessible Beaches Vouched for by Robert Melia, Chapter Leader of Greater Orlando Spinal Cord Injury Association
William J “Billy Joe” Rish Recreation Area is a 100-acre park that extends from the Gulf of Mexico across the peninsula to St. Joseph Bay. “It is great! It has totally accessible lodging as well as beach and pool access,” says Robert. This beach and recreation area is specifically designated to offer various recreational opportunities for people with disabilities and their families and caregivers.
New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is the one Robert frequents the most. “It allows you to drive onto and park on the beach,” he says. “With a disabled parking placard or license plate, you can park on the shoreside of the ‘sand road.’ The beach is hard-packed, so you can get around fairly easily if you have thicker tires.”
Cocoa Beach, Florida, offers six miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches with excellent beach access from one end of the city to the other. “This beach is pretty accessible, although the sand is soft,” says Robert. “But there is an accessible pier with sun protection and a restaurant and bar.”
Diveheart Founder & President Jim Elliott’s Key Largo Classroom
“I recommend Cannon Beach in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park for its accessibility, cost, convenience, and beautiful surroundings,” says Jim. “It is extremely convenient, park fees are fair, and it is much more cost-effective than a boat dive.” He takes wheelchair users to this beach to get them acclimated to salt water and scuba diving in a shallow and controlled environment. When the divers are ready, they are taken 20 feet offshore.
In addition to scuba diving, this wheelchair-accessible beach is perfect for sunning and swimming.
United Spinal Grassroots Advocacy Manager Annie Streit’s Top Secret Camping Spot on a Wheelchair Accessible Beach
Camping on the Gulf, Miramar Beach, Florida, is an excellent choice for beachgoers in the disability community who travel with an RV. This campground is right on the beach, with 215 available sites. I could roll around the campground on the paved roads and sidewalks, where I could venture to the pool and other amenities such as the restrooms, laundromat, and store.
There is no boardwalk because beach access was right off the pavement. It was about a five-minute walk or roll for us to reach the beach from our campsite. We could navigate the beautiful soft white sand using my Hippocampe beach wheelchair, which has large beach wheels. I could also sit at the water’s edge and feel the ocean water on my feet and legs.
After more than ten years of not being in the ocean since my spinal cord injury onset, this was such a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone! If you want to rent a beach wheelchair, you can visit Destin Wheels or Sand Helper.
Two Must-Sees in Wilmington, North Carolina, from Our Member Tim Hopper
Wrightsville Beach is known as North Carolina’s most accessible beach from Interstate 40. It offers free “bubble wheel” chairs you can reserve ahead of time to access the beach.
The Wrightsville Beach Blog mentions, “Five beach wheelchairs and one beach walker are available for visitors to reserve, free of charge. Designed to navigate the sand, these chairs help ensure everyone can enjoy the full beach experience alongside crystal blue waters. Call Wrightsville Beach Parks & Recreation at (910) 256-7925 to reserve a chair.”
Carolina Beach features a “horseshoe” down from the pier to the beach and then back to the other side. According to the Carolina Beach Blog, “Wheelchair-accessible mats are placed on the beach around Memorial Day and remain through Labor Day, providing access from the Carolina Beach Boardwalk to the sandy shore.” There are 10 WaterWheel beach wheelchairs available to reserve for free by contacting the Carolina Beach Parks and Recreation at (910) 458-2977.
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2022 #Strongwheeled Together Awardee Erik Kondo’s Maine Getaway
Long Sands Beach is in York, Maine, just a little over an hour’s drive from Boston. It is flat and gets packed down during high tide. Therefore, it is possible to roll in a wheelchair without too much difficulty. Having wider tires and a trike wheel makes it easier, but they are not necessary. There are accessible parking spots and bathrooms. There is a ramp to get to the sand, and surfing is popular at the beach year-round.
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3 Wheelchair Accessible Beaches and 1 Excellent Resource from Bonnie Lewkowicz, Program Manager of Access Northern California for Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program
Pismo Beach in Oceano features a concrete ramp to the six-mile-long, white-sand beach and a beach wheelchair is available for loan at the Sandcastle Hotel, (805) 773-2422. The beach is backed by a quaint town with shops and lots of restaurants. A mile and a half up the road is a one-mile boardwalk that travels through the dunes. The Coastal Access Trail is an accessible trail with two spur trails that connect the North Beach Campground and the Grand Avenue beach access parking area, where accessible parking is available and accessible restrooms.
Here’s a bird’s eye view of the trail:
Popular and crowded Mission Beach, San Diego, is the classic boardwalk beach town with a two-mile paved promenade running behind the beach. When you are tired of the beach, you can stroll the promenade or check out the boardwalk amusement park. Due to the combined effort of the City of San Diego, Port of San Diego, local residents and council members, manual, powered, and floating beach chairs are offered for free. You can visit this article for more information.
Francis Beach is the southernmost beach at Half Moon Bay State Beach. Amenities include blufftop camping, blufftop picnic tables overlooking the beach, and a small visitor center. A beach wheelchair is available at the entrance kiosk. The Coastal Trail runs along the eastern boundary of Half Moon Bay State Beach for nearly four miles and provides good pedestrian access to all four beaches in the system, but Francis Beach is the most accessible.
The California Coastal Commission provides an excellent resource with a list of beaches that loan beach wheelchairs.
3 Beach Faves and Then a Few More from wheelchairtraveling.com Founder Ashley Olson
Ashley offers her insight and first-hand experiences as a wheelchair traveler reporter and Founder of www.wheelchairtraveling.com. These are just a few of the many beaches she has visited that offer accessible features and options.
Crissy Field in San Francisco is operated by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (United States National Park Services), with beach wheelchairs that are available to borrow. “Crissy Field is a long park that parallels the water with views of the Golden Gate and Alcatraz,” says Ashley. “It’s part of the Presidio. One section with cypress trees is very lovely. There are spots to stop and enjoy the water.”
The East Beach has seasonal beach mats and two beach wheelchairs. You can also access accessible parking and restrooms at East Beach or West Bluff. The Crissy Field Promenade can be accessed from either of these locations. It is made up of compacted decomposed granite, which makes it possible for wheelchair users to enjoy this 2.3-mile roll with a fantastic view of the San Francisco skyline.
Tybee Island is located near Savanah, Georgia. Although there are not many beaches, this location is good for a day trip from Savanah. There are various ways that accessibility is offered, including Mobi-mats, beach wheelchair rentals, and accessible establishments. Fat-tired wheelchair rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Ocean Rescue lifeguard station located near the ramp up to the Pier and Pavilion off the end of Tybrisa Street. Hard-surfaced wheelchair mats are at the end of many of the dune crossovers.
Sebastian Inlet State Park’s Melbourne Beach in Florida has three miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches. A beach wheelchair is available upon request at (321) 984-4852, and Ashley pointed out that there are Mobi-mats available for the beach to also help with access and mobility.
7 Bonus Wheelchair Accessible Beaches!
Ashley shares seven more beaches that offer access and mobility: Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota in Florida, California’s San Simeon State Park and Asilomer State Beach in Monterey Bay, North and South Lake Tahoe, and Chicago beaches.
“Whether it’s a beach by the ocean or a lake in the mountains, I know that one doesn’t have to walk on the sand to receive the healing properties of this environment. So finding accessible shoreline strolls has always been an objective of mine,” says Ashley. “I love being outside in nature!”
We’d love to have you join our United Spinal’s Outdoor Access Working Group. As a member, you’ll collaborate with advocates across the United States to help remove barriers to outdoor recreation for the disability community. And you will to help promote adaptive recreation activities of all kinds.
