Clay Pit Road

Toilet Information

• Toilet at trailhead
• Accessible toilet

More information about toilets

Wheelchair Accessibility

This trail, along with Red Town Trail, is one of the most wheelchair friendly in the park. It is a former gravel road and is generally still in that condition. It is wide enough for two vehicles to pass easily, and retains a hard packed surface with some loose gravel on top. While probably doable for nearly all wheelchairs, some might find it a little bumpy. For most of it, the cross slope is limited with some crowning in the center needed for water runoff. This won't be a problem for powerchair users, but manual chair users may find it beneficial to straddle the middle of the road. The road starts reasonably flat, with just a little downhill to the crossing over the north fork of Coal Creek. The creek flows through a culvert under the road and is not any sort of barrier. From here the trail begins a long steady slog uphill toward the Clay Pit Mine. While possibly steeper than ADA ramps in spots, the grade itself isn't likely to cause issues. However, the fact that it's about 0.6 miles of inclinde that will likely cause most manual chair users to want some assistance. That said, the glide downhill on the return is a nice plus.

A number of the offshoot trails — including Cave Hole, Fred's Railroad and Bypass — also have reasonable accessibility, and are worth checking out if you want something slightly more adventurous. Once you reach the mine, there is also a bench for your walking companions to relax and enjoy the view.

The most confusing thing about this trail is actually getting started on it. On the northeast-ish side of the Sky Country Trailhead parking lot, there is a small bridge that crosses a small drainage ditch to get to the trail. It has a couple of steps on each side and isn't at all accessible. You can backtrack out of the parking lot to the big yellow gate blocking the trail off, which is a viable option for some. There is a path around to the right-hand side of the gate, but there is a guy wire holding up the gate post you have to duck under. This may be an obstruction for those who sit especially tall in their chairs (especially some powerchairs). Most active manual chair users can probably duck it with no problems. The most accessible way to access it is to follow Old Man's Trail to the south of the parking lot past the kiosk, which is pavement and hard-packed dirt and gravel. Once the trail breaks into the clearing at the former Nike missile site, follow the trees around to the left. You'll see a sign showing Old Man's Trail going back into the woods, but keep following the wide path to the left. It will connect to Clay Pit Road, and you'll want to turn right to follow it to the mine.

The parking lot at the Sky Country trailhead is paved and has 2 accessible spots that share an access aisle large enough for ramp vans to use. There are usually 2 port-a-potties nearby, one of which is the accessible style.

[Accessibility notes provided by Z. K.]