ASCENT Rating System for People with Disabilities

ASCENT

Accessibility Scales for Characterizing Easier Natural Trails

ASCENT allows people with disabilities to choose the best path or trail tailored to their individual abilities and goals

Overview of our ratings of natural trails from Very Easy to Very Hard. Read more.

Trail Stress helps you find natural trails that offer just the level of challenge given your specific disabilities. Read more.

The rationale for ASCENT helps to understand the approach we used and the benefits this offers. Read more.

The ASCENT survey is being tested in phases that apply ratings to increasingly challenging paths and natural trails. Coming soon!

Trail Effort helps you find natural trails that match your current fitness levels. Read more.

ASCENT's overall Trail Ratings draw directly from the individual features and critical thresholds related to the Federal Accessibility Standards for Universal Access (UA) Trails. Read more about the rationale here.

Features include Grades (Cross and Running), Tread Surface, Obstacles, and Tread Width.

Each individual feature is rated as

A If it meets the UA standard

A- If it falls just short of the UA standard

B If it clearly falls short of the UA standards

C If it significantly exceeds the UA standard

The Critical Thresholds for each of these ratings for different features are described in detail in Trail Effort and Trail Stress.

ASCENT also takes into account

Whether a standard is exceeded over a short section (e.g., less than 10') that might just create stress, or over a longer section that becomes a barrier
When a section of natural trail exceeds standards with respect to multiple features, creating even more stress or barriers.
The fact that overall difficulty may increase over the course of a trail as other features are encountered, helping walkers decide whether to continue/

The western section of Cheslen's Purple Loop is a wide, flat, mowed trail.

A Very Easy Natural Trail

Meets all UA standards (e.g., with an A rating) except for Tread Surface, rated as generally firm or an A- rating) - in other words, these have no sections including

Running grades or slopes of 5-8.33% longer than 200', no grades of 8.33-10% longer than 60', or grades of 10-12.5% longer than 10'
Cross grades greater than 5%
Obstacles across the width of the path more than 2" high
A Width of less than 3-5', with 5' wide passing spaces at least every 1000'

A Very Easy to Easy Natural Trail

Includes short sections (i.e., up to 10' long) falling just short of UA Standards (e.g., an A- rating) for no more than one of the following feature in addition to Tread Surface - i.e.,

Cross grades of 5-10%
Obstacles across the width of the path 2-3" high
A Width of at least 3' but without passing spaces

The section of the PennDel Trail in White Clay Creek Preserve leaving from Lot #1 requires passing over a bridge less than 32" wide

The Kestrel's Perch Trail in Stateline Woods Preserve includes a section more than 60' long with Running Grades exceeding 10% and a longer section with Cross Grades of 5-10%

An Easy Natural Trail

Includes longer sections (i.e., more than 10' long) that fall short of one or more of the following UA standards - i.e.,

Running grades of 8.33-10% for longer than 200' and/or grades of 10-12.5% for longer than 60' and/or grades of 12.5-20% for longer than 10'
Cross grades of 5-10%
Obstacles across the width of the path that are 2-3" high
A Width of at least 3' but with no passing spaces

An Easy to Hard Natural Trail

Includes short sections that clearly exceed (e.g., a B rating) UA Standards for no more than one of the following features - i.e.,

Tread surface that is soft
Cross grades of 10-15%
Obstacles across the width of the path up to 6" high
A Width of 18" to 3'

The Prickly Pear Trail Perch Trail in the Delaware Seashore State Park includes short sandy sections where Margot's stroller wheel sinks up to 2".

Many popular natural trails that are maintained by many feet, like these in Harmony Hill Nature Area, are only 18" to 3' wide.

A Hard Natural Trail

Includes longer sections that clearly exceed one or more of the following UA standards - i.e.,

Running grades of 10-12.5% for longer than 200' and/or grades of 12.5-20% for longer than 60' and/or grades of 20-30% for longer than 10'
Tread surface that is soft
Cross grades of 10-15%
Obstacles across the width of the path that are up to 6" high
A Width of 18" to 3'

A Hard to Very Hard Natural Trail

Includes short sections that significantly exceed (e.g., a C rating) UA Standards for no more than one of the following features - i.e.,

Tread surface that is very soft
Cross grades more than 15%
Obstacles across the width of the path more than 6" high
A Width of less than 18"

Even a short stream crossing can make the easiest trail very hard because of deep mud and/or the stream itself that makes the streambed hard to see

Long sections with large rocks spanning the width of the Beaver Valley Trail at the Marshall Bridge Preserve make this trail Very Hard for people with mobility challenges.

A Very Hard Natural Trail

Includes longer sections that significantly exceed one or more of the following UA standards - i.e.,

Running grades of 10-12.5% for longer than 200' OR running grades of 12.5-20% for longer than 60' OR running grades of 20-30% for longer than 10'
Tread surface that is very soft
Cross grades more than 15%
Obstacles across the width of the path more than 6" high
A Width of less than 18"

Read more about the rationale behind ASCENT, about the key features of - and thresholds for - Trail Effort and Trail Stress.

Find YOUR path

ASCENT allows people with disabilities to choose the best path or trail tailored to their individual abilities and goals​​