On a hot and mosquitoey June day last summer, Matt Hawes ‘07—professional trail builder with Timber and Stone—bushwhacks through thorny raspberry thickets and nets of bittersweet along the western boundary of Centennial Woods. He is within earshot of the dumpsters picking up trash in the bordering housing development.

Holding a clinometer to his eye, he pauses to measure the steepness of the route he has taken into the weeds. “I got…7%,” he shouts and nudges himself uphill to level out a bit. “There, that’s 5.” Five percent is good. He marks this spot in his route by tying a bright orange flag to a Norway maple branch just above his head.

Matt and I are here to consider a simple question: Can Centennial Woods be made accessible to someone in a wheelchair?

The answer is: Yes.

The main entrance to Centennial Woods is visible to the thousands of people who commute along Catamount Drive every day. Despite the main entrance being only a half-mile from the Davis Center, for anyone in a wheelchair or with limited mobility—including at least 30 students who are registered with UVM’s student Accessibility Services—it is impassible. That is because of the hills; or, more accurately, because of the route the current trails take down the hills. But a new trail could fix that problem.

Stretching the path out across the hillside, instead of turning straight down it, could make Centennial Woods wheel friendly. Building a universally accessible trail, also known as an All-Persons trail, requires knowledge of both the landscape and the laws and guidelines surrounding ADA accessibility. Five percent is the acceptable long-distance slope—angle of a hillside—for a universally accessible trail. It’s subtle. The trend downhill may go unnoticed to someone without a mobility disability. But greater slopes mean less control and more exertion for someone using a mobility aid. So, we continue double checking each other with our clinometers and tying up flagging when we get it right.

“Yeah, this is a great spot,” Matt says upon arriving at the end point of the route. Mostly, he’s saying that because it is already here. It is an earthen mound that extends about 15 feet into the otherwise flat meadow that surrounds Centennial Brook. The path we’ve marked has been stretched from 0.20 miles to 0.27 miles and maintains an accessibility-approved angle the whole way down.

Now comes a decision point as Matt designs the options for ending the trail. This involves lots of hand gestures and imagination. “It could end right here” he slices the air, drawing a horizon to show that the ground could be made level where now it slightly bulges. “Or we could build out there,” and he turns to face the wetland as if he is holding an imaginary box and pushes his hands forward to demonstrate the expansion of the landing into the wetland.

A boardwalk, with a platform for whole classes of students. “Or a bridge”—and now his hand arcs as if doing the breaststroke. Visitors would then arrive at the foot of the Main Loop. The feasibility of accessibility there has yet to be determined. This means whatever is built here, it will be the end of the visit to Centennial Woods for some. A place to turn around, back up and return up the trail. 

“Next step would be to get a wetland delineation and an archeological dig,” Matt advises.

This is the standard process for the installation of any new trail. Professionals will need to conduct assessments to determine if and how a new trail could be constructed without damaging the stately pines on the hillside or the marsh surrounding Centennial Brook. 

The proposed trail has been visited by members of UVM’s Diversity, Safety, and Accessibility Advisory Committee. During these field walks, questions were brought up about the how and when of these next steps. That remains uncertain. What is certain, from the perspective of those on the field walks, is that this is an important idea, a necessary conversation, and a long overdue action. 

Matt returns his clinometer and the empty roll of flagging to the cab of his bronze pick-up truck. Matt is hopeful. He acknowledges that this trail could have a hugely positive impact on the student body of his alma mater and that it just “makes sense” to improve accessibility in Centennial Woods. Just before he rides off, he rolls down his window and shouts optimistically “see you soon.”

If you are a UVM student or faculty member and would like to share your thoughts on accessibility in Centennial, complete this survey between now and March 29th of 2024 to share them.