Edie Perkins is an athlete, adventurer, and handcyclist. Edie traded running shoes for wheels after being struck by a car while on a bike ride in 2017. She is now paralyzed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair (or handcycle!) to get around. Since her injury, she has dedicated herself to empowering others with disabilities, advocating for access to recreational spaces, and helping people get active through adaptive sports.
In this post, Edie shares her trip to Otter View Park in Middlebury, VT.
Even after four years in Vermont, I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface of what it has to offer. This summer and fall, I’m on a mission to change that—and I’m starting with accessible adventures close to home.
I’ve been paralyzed from the chest down since a 2017 car vs. cyclist injury (I was the cyclist) and now I use a wheelchair to get around. Exploring the outdoors looks a little different, but my love of nature hasn’t gone anywhere.
Fortunately, Vermont has been making tremendous strides improving accessibility in the outdoors. Check out the Trail Accessibility Hub (TAH), an incredible new resource that provides land managers with trail assessments, information, and guidance on making their land accessible to all. I’ve recently been using Trail Finder to locate wheelchair-friendly trails, and it’s opened up new possibilities for me.
That’s how I ended up at Otter View Park managed by Middlebury Area Land Trust in, well, Middlebury. At 16 acres of preserved wetlands with 0.5 miles of trails to explore, it’s more of a mini-escape than a backcountry adventure, but it’s definitely worth knowing about.
The parking area isn’t technically accessible, but it worked fine for me. The ground is firm dirt, and while a bit bumpy, it was easy to manage. From there, a gravel path leads across a field and into the woods. I couldn’t have picked a better day, the sky was bright blue with small puffy clouds drifting over wooded hills in the distance.
A little way in, the trail splits. Take the right fork and you’ll find yourself on a very short section of fairly steep trail that brings you toward the marsh. It was easy to descend, but I knew on the way back it would be a grind.
Beyond that, at the beginning of the marshy section, the cattails towered over me—probably five feet tall or more—and from a wheelchair-height perspective, it was awesome to look up and see the brown cattail tops against the deep blue sky. We also spotted all kinds of wildflowers, like jewelweed and blue vervain, which added color along the way.
Then the boardwalk appeared. It’s beautifully built, with bumpers but no tall railings (except at the resting points), which means I actually had an unobstructed view (something that’s rarer than you’d think). The first stretch winds through a stand of birches, where the light filters down cool and soft, before opening up again to marshland.
After going through a beautiful stretch of marsh, the boardwalk ends at a pond. Wild rice, lily pads and more cattails frame the water. Across the pond, shrubs, birch and maple trees reflect perfectly on the still surface. We lingered for a while, listening to crickets and birds, half-hoping for a beaver or muskrat sighting. No such luck, but we did see a couple of frogs and some waterfowl.
The trail is an out-and-back, and the only tricky bit is the short but steep climb leaving the boardwalk. I could’ve pushed myself up it, but I let my friend give me a hand—it’s gravel, my tires are skinny, and sometimes I just feel like saying “yes” when someone offers to help.
Bottom line: if you find yourself in Middlebury, Otter View Park is worth a visit. It’s peaceful, easy to navigate, and a lovely way to connect with nature—whether you’re rolling, walking, or just in need of a quick reset.
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