The World’s Only Accessible Mountain

Ali Habashi: Wilderness on Wheels is clearly a labor of love and a project with a very clear goal in mind. I would love to know a little bit about the origins of Wilderness on Wheels and where those two miles of hiking boardwalk originally came from.

Heather Collins: Wilderness on Wheels was founded in 1986 by a man named Roger West. And Roger West started asking himself questions like, "How do disabled people access the mountains? How do they enjoy the great outdoors with their family and friends?"

And what led to those questions was that his dad became injured and he started having to use a wheelchair. And that led Roger to just becoming aware that there's a large population of people who can't access the outdoors like everyone else can. So when he asked himself that question, he decided to solve the problem, and he founded Wilderness on Wheels in 1986, like I said.

But it began a journey, right? Because Wilderness on Wheels is run on donations and volunteers. So when we started to build that boardwalk, it took years. It took tons of volunteers, I mean, literally thousands of volunteers, donations from lumber companies and other sources, and that's how the boardwalk began, and that's how it was built over the course of many years.

Ali: What did you think during your first visit to the facilities?

Heather: I have a progressive neuromuscular disease, and I found out about Wilderness on Wheels through my own advocacy research and outreach, and I had been wanting to visit for a couple of years before I actually got to go.

Last May my husband surprised me. My birthday is in May, and he booked the log cabin here at Wilderness on Wheels as a surprise birthday gift to me. He knew I had been wanting to visit the facility and check it out. And I knew generally what it was, but it's not until you actually come on site and see the boardwalks that you really understand the impact that it can have.

So I always think back to the time that I was on the boardwalk for the first time in my off-road wheelchair, and I was going up, and it's a mile to the top and a mile back, and that's like a 300-foot elevation gain, so it's literally up the mountain. And I just stopped, and I looked at the view, and tears came to my eyes because I was in awe and gratitude for being able to access nature in this way.

When you're in a position where there are things in life that are not accessible to you, that are cut off to you, but then you get to come to a facility like Wilderness on Wheels and you feel like you belong and you feel like there's a place for you, it's just a profound experience. And that's how I felt when I experienced the boardwalk for the first time, and honestly even since then.

I remember thinking when I stopped and I just took in the view, the thought came to me, why don't more places like this exist?

Because when we can build something that is inclusive, it's just a game changer for so many people, myself included

Ali: Is this the only one, do you think, Wilderness on Wheels, that has done something like this?

Heather: Wilderness on Wheels to my knowledge is the only facility to our extent, because we offer not only the boardwalks for hiking, but we have an accessible fishing dock and accessible camping and cabins. And at this time I don't know of any other place in the world that's like this, that was built to be inclusive from the very beginning rather than an afterthought or an add-on.

Ali: That's startling to think about. That's bleak to think about. I hope that you guys inspire a few more facilities like this at least. It seems like there's so much of the world, but especially with nature. That seems like something that we're constantly developing. So I do hope that there's more places soon. and I'm grateful that your place exists.

So can, you describe the facility for us? You've kind of gotten into it a little bit with the accessible fishing and cabins and things like that. But for anybody who hasn't been to Colorado, or just anybody who doesn't get out of the house much, can you sort of paint a picture of how it looks?

Heather: Yeah, definitely. So in Colorado, the mountains, and specifically the Rocky Mountains, are so important to basically everyone that lives here. And Wilderness on Wheels is located in the beautiful Colorado Rockies. We're near Kenosha Pass, which might not mean a lot to some people, but if you're local or you visit Colorado often, then you've probably heard of Kenosha Pass.

So we're up there. We're up there in the mountains. We're at 9,300 feet. And when someone arrives to our facility, they're literally surrounded by pine and aspen forests, beautiful mountain views, and the sounds of Kenosha Creek that runs through the property. And what makes Wilderness on Wheels unique is that these experiences are intentionally designed to be accessible.

We have the wheelchair accessible mountain boardwalk, like we spoke about earlier, and it winds through the forest and up the mountain. And then we also have our creek-side boardwalk that goes along Kenosha Creek, and it allows you to access our accessible fishing dock as well. And then our cabins and our campsites and our huts and our tent sites are also accessible and allow people with disabilities to camp and enjoy the great outdoors.

Our goal isn't just accessibility, it’s making sure people feel welcome, included, and are able to experience the outdoors with dignity.

Ali: That's incredible. That sounds beautiful. we at Homethrive, our members are all caregivers.

So a lot of them are caring for a loved one who maybe is low mobility or has a disability or has a diagnosis. And I think this sounds like an incredible place to go and just breathe the fresh air and just be in the mountains and be in the woods. And I think it's just so freeing to find yourself on a trail like that, especially one that's accessible.

Because I've been on trails like that, and even if they're accessible for a time, it doesn't seem like they're accessible all the way through. There's always some weird spot, where you have to kind of clamber over some rocks or sidle down a weird path and you're like, "This might collapse out from underneath me at any point."

So it's nice to know that there's a place where, or I'm assuming, caregivers can join their loved ones on these trails?

Heather: Absolutely, and that's something that we often have in our messaging. It is for people with disabilities and their families and their friends and their caregivers.

And technically, anyone can come to Wilderness on Wheels regardless of whether or not they're disabled or not. And when people do and they come for day trips and they leave a donation or they stay overnight, then they're supporting equal access to nature.

Ali: We've heard how you reacted to the facility. how do guests tend to react to the facility once they see it?

Heather: That's really one of my favorite parts of working for Wilderness on Wheels, is getting to meet our guests, hear their stories, and learn firsthand what outdoor accessibility means to them and the sense of belonging that Wilderness on Wheels provides for them.

And I have heard over and over again that visiting Wilderness on Wheels is the closest thing to camping or outdoor recreation that they've experienced in a really long time. We just had one couple that came out, the gentleman is a double amputee, and they hadn't been on vacation in eight years, and they were so excited to find out about Wilderness on Wheels and to book our log cabin.

They had a wonderful stay, and they're going to come back and they're going to bring their family. Because a lot of people, they come here and they visit with their family so that everyone can be included. And they tell me that there are times when their friend or their family member has to stay home because the place where they're going isn't accessible.

But at Wilderness on Wheels, everyone is welcome, and it is accessible, and it wasn't an afterthought. And if I could share, one of my favorite comments was by a guest named Matthew Fisher, and he said, and I'll read the quote.

"What an amazing place. Beautiful and well-maintained. Being able to hike like this with my family is a true gift. The facilities are top-notch and designed with the needs of people in mind. This has clearly been a passion project for so many people. Thank you."

And one of the reasons why I like that so much is because it literally was and is a passion project. I mean, Roger West, when he first founded it and decided to embark on the mission of building the boardwalk, he had to rely on people that were passionate about including everyone and no one left behind.

And it just shows the true nature of our organization. We're people who show up every day and we say, "We all matter. Everyone deserves access to nature. We all belong, and let's do this together."

Ali: That's huge. We get some really lovely testimonials as well, and I know if you feel the same way as I do when I read them, it makes everything worth it.

It makes all the hard work worth it. And it gives you some perspective because I'm kind of on the other side of things. I'm not always in front of a member or a client or anything like that. So unless I ask around, or unless I see those testimonials, I don't often hear those actual first-person accounts.

We've discussed the fact that you are a disability advocate for accessibility in the outdoors. So I've got a few questions in that vein. One more general one: specifically in the U.S., how do you think we can improve on making things accessible for all? And when I think of this question, I think is there anything we can change in our day-to-day lives, as, I don't know, landlords, as small business owners, as just general citizens, where we can open up the world a little bit more?

Heather: This question, it makes me think of a quote that I heard recently and it's by Alasdair MacIntyre. "A person in a wheelchair is far more disabled when a building they're trying to get into only has stairs to get into it."

So basically, he's saying that a disabled person is far more disabled when faced with the societal and physical barriers around them. So when we build businesses or outdoor facilities or venues to be accessible from the beginning, then we're including everyone. But when it's an afterthought, then we're taking for granted the accessibility that most people just have from the get-go because they're not a wheelchair user, or they don't have limited mobility, or they don't have a chronic illness.

So how can small businesses and venues and just the general public contribute?

We can improve by keeping the conversation going on what accessibility actually is and what it actually looks like. And that means bringing people with disabilities into the conversation. That's where a lot of businesses and venues kind of fail is because they didn't bring the disability community into the conversation and into the design process.

You know, we have the ADA here in the United States, which is great. It was founded in 1990, and it has really paved the way towards better accessibility. But it's not the end of the road. It's just the beginning. And the problem with the ADA is that a lot of places that were built a long time ago don't have to be retrofitted, or they can't be because they're historical.

And compliance with the ADA isn't guaranteed, and it's not strictly enforced either. And sometimes it takes an individual or a group of individuals to create a lawsuit to create change because a business or a venue isn't accessible, and that happens all the time. So I think we need to just remember that accessibility is not inherent.

The world in general is inherently inaccessible to people with disabilities. We're adapting and changing all the time to try to make something work for us.

Ali: I think it's important, too, to remember especially with historical sites or things that seem untouchable, you can retrofit briefly, temporarily.

I went to college in Scotland. Everything over there is old. It's all old. and I was working in a little shop. I was working in a bookshop, and somebody came to the door in a wheelchair, and we had steps. We had steps up to the shop. Every shop had steps up to it.

And they said, "There should be a ramp in the back." And nobody had told me about a ramp in the back. I'd been working there for, like, a year, and I went in the back and there was a ramp. I just wasn't informed about it. But then I could put it down, and they could come in the shop, and they could shop, and suddenly, our little Scottish bookstore was accessible.

And so even if you're not the designer of a building or the person responsible for figuring out where a ramp goes or whether or not you can order a ramp, I guess if you are a manager or if you're a worker in a shop, maybe if we just start asking questions, "Hey, do we have a ramp here? Can we order one?"

Then maybe that can be our little thing, and it'll be little to us, but I think it'll be major to whoever next comes to the door in a wheelchair.

Heather: Absolutely, and little changes like that are just a catalyst towards more accessibility and awareness around the fact that we need accessibility, that it's not a special service.

It's a need. It should be a given.

Ali: Exactly. And I think sometimes we think we're so far removed from these issues and these things, but we're really not. It's really just the difference between a major injury, a new diagnosis, or even just aging, just getting older. My parents are already telling me to move out of my condo because it has too many steps and they want to visit.

They're not even having trouble yet. They know. They know they're going to have more trouble as the years come on. So I think it affects us all.

It's just one of those things that sometimes you think you're not involved, but we're all a part of it. If I start using a cane later, I'm also not going to want to deal with little steps leading up to the bookstores I want to go into. Get the ramp. I know it's in the back.

Heather: And a railing.

Ali: And the railing, yes.

Heather: A handrail. So many places don't have handrails. It's shocking.

Ali: Do you have any dream goal places that would be amazing to see made accessible? Places that you want to travel to, that you want to hike. Any place in nature or out that you would just love to see them sort of give a little bit of love to, or a couple of boardwalks so that you could also experience it.

Any dream places like that?

Heather: I would say, honestly, you'd be surprised, but I don't really travel that much. I'm kind of a homebody. But I have a friend who has visited, a handful or more of the national parks, and she tells me that so many of them are not accessible, including Yellowstone. And some parts are kind of like you said earlier, some trails are a little bit accessible, and then that ends, and you have to traverse something else.

So I'd really like to see, not necessarily a specific location, but I would like to see states and cities embrace accessibility, especially for public parks. It's rare that you see an accessible playground for children with disabilities. Most are not accessible, and the standards are very low for playgrounds, and they don't have accessible equipment.

Like, the playground itself might have a ramp, or it might have wood chips, which apparently is a standard for accessibility, and that doesn't make sense because I know for one thing, I would have a really hard time with wood chips in my wheelchair. But ultimately, rather than one location, I say a broader term of just seeing accessibility in our local communities, because that's what's going to make the biggest impact on the disability community, because then individuals and families would be able to participate and be included in their community offerings like everyone else can.

So I would just like to see it at a very local community level. To see our parks and our cities and our state parks expand on the accessibility offerings.

Ali: Is there anywhere that we can make our voices heard when it comes to accessibility in these places?

Heather: There are a variety of organizations beyond Wilderness on Wheels that are advocating for outdoor accessibility.

And I would say that if someone has a passion for outdoor accessibility, look at your local and your state level. Find organizations that are doing adaptive sports and adaptive recreation, and volunteer. And if you really wanted to make it a passion, show up to your local government meetings and bring it up. I have a friend who's a keynote speaker, and pretty much twice a month she speaks on outdoor accessibility, and it's always astonishing to her sometimes how little time they give her, and how the conversation wasn't there until she brought it there. So I would say make your voices heard.

Ali: Okay, so we're coming to the end of the episode now. want to ask about yearly events, but I know you have a big event coming up, so I would love you to talk a little bit about that.

Heather: Yeah. So on August 1st of this year, it's a Saturday, we're having WOWfest, which is our yearly summer event that we make available to the community.

But this year it's extra special because it's the 40th anniversary for Wilderness on Wheels. Like I it was founded in 1986, and it's 2026, so we're at the 40-year mark, and it's just really exciting that Wilderness on Wheels is truly an outdoor accessibility pioneer. The organization predated the ADA, and we're going to celebrate that on Saturday, August 1st.

We're going have live music, and food, and, activity booths, as well as door prizes and a silent auction to raise money for Wilderness on Wheels so that we can continue to provide equal access to nature for another 40 years plus.

Ali: And that was August 1st?

Heather: That's Saturday, August 1st, and it's a free event. It's open to the public.

Ali: Perfect. Okay. We're going to try to get this episode out before that so that everybody can learn about this. Okay, so last question: What are your hopes for the future of Wilderness on Wheels, and other accessible natural locations?

Heather: I hope accessibility becomes something that's naturally considered whenever parks and trails and campgrounds and recreation facilities are designed from the very beginning and not added later. And I'd love to see more communities invest in inclusive outdoor spaces, especially, like I said, on the state and city level so that families don't have to travel long distances to find accessible nature experiences.

I said that I'm not a huge traveler, and by that I mean I travel within Colorado. And so I just really appreciate that there are places in Colorado, including trails, locally, that are more accessible that I can visit. So, traveling is a privilege, and not everyone has that ability. So if we can create really accessible and local places for people to recreate in an accessible way, then it just opens up more inclusion.

And for Wilderness on Wheels, I hope we can grow and enhance our accessibility and serve more guests, and just continue to inspire others to make the outdoors accessible for everyone.