#BOOK/RELEASE: The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon

The Disabled Hiker’s Guide Book Cover

BY Marco KathuriaThe Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon is the first book of its kind to consider the diverse needs of disabled people in the outdoors. This groundbreaking guidebook includes 60 outdoor adventures, including drive-up experiences, verified wheelchair accessible trails, and foot trails suitable for disabled hikers.

The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: Outdoor Adventures Accessible by Car, Wheelchair, and on Foot

This guide removes one of the barriers to access – a lack of information – by utilizing a rating system and detailed trail information designed for the disability community. Each trail is personally assessed according to Syren’s skilled and detailed review and established accessibility guidelines.

Purchase the book here.

The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and on foot by Syren Nagakyrie is the first book of its kind to consider the diverse needs of disabled people in the outdoors. The book will remove one of the barriers to access — a lack of information – by utilizing a rating system and detailed trail information designed for the disability community. 

This groundbreaking guidebook includes 50 outdoor adventures, including scenic drives, verified wheelchair accessible trails, and foot trails suitable for disabled hikers. Each trail is personally assessed according to Syren’s skilled review and established accessibility guidelines. Each entry provides detailed descriptions and driving directions, including public transit options when available.

It also contains additional hiking tips, resources, and Native land acknowledgments. This flagship book will be the first of it’s kind, with hopefully many more to come.

The Disabled Hiker’s Guide is a dream for the future, when access to the outdoors is possible for everyone. It is manifested after an intense two year labor of love, and written during some of the most challenging circumstances. It is my hope that it opens the way for anyone who has felt excluded from hiking, particularly Disabled and chronically ill communities.

Stay up-to-date on this and future projects by joining the project’s Patreon page to receive behind the scenes updates while also supporting the work!

About the Author

Image Description: A headshot of Syren Nagakyrie, a white nonbinary person with wavy brown hair. They are wearing a backpack and outdoor clothing. A blurry mossy green forest is in the background.
Photo: Syren Nagakyrie

Syren Nagakyrie (they/them) is the founder of Disabled Hikers, an organization by disabled people for disabled people. Syren writes trail guides, leads group hikes, and offers presentations throughout the Pacific Northwest and farther afield. Syren has consulted with many parks and organizations to improve access and inclusion for disabled people. They were selected as a Rooted in Rights Storyteller for 2019, a competitive program sponsored by Rooted in Rights and Disability Rights Washington. Syren is a lifelong social activist and advocate. As a freelance writer, Syren has been published in multiple anthologies, magazines, and blogs. They developed a love for nature in childhood but did not start exploring outdoor recreation until their mid-twenties; they faced exclusion and lack of accessibility in outdoor spaces, but Syren could not be held back from enjoying the wonders of nature. Through years of trial and error, Syren discovered what makes the outdoors accessible for them, and believes strongly in the importance of connection to place as an antidote to the isolation so many disabled people experience. They live in Forks, Washington.

Book Details

Globe Pequot / Falcon GuidesPages: 208 • Trim: 6 x 9978-1-4930-5785-6 • Paperback • September 2022 • $22.95 • (£17.99)
Subjects: Sports & Recreation / HikingTravel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)