Bon Echo

My family has been camping as long as I can remember. We don’t let a little thing like a disability stop us. Tent, tent-trailer, trailer, you name it we’ve done it. Year after year, we always make sure to go to our favourite provincial park: Bon Echo. From the stunning cliff to the relaxing campfire, this spot is tough to beat.

Let me explain how we make it work. We have a small trailer, and when it comes time to go inside my Dad lifts me from my wheelchair to a little rolling stool inside the trailer. I use that to wheel around inside. I have what I like to call my “nook”, a bunk in the back that I transfer into. It’s not a perfect setup, but for the time being it works.

Some parks are more difficult to manoeuvre around than others, but I am happy to report that I am very impressed with Bon Echo’s accessibility features. My brother and I took a hike from the campsite to their giftshop and visitor centre. It was a little bumpy, but it was doable for the two of us, more than I can say for some other trails I’ve been on. When we arrived, both the giftshop and visitor centre had ramps at the MAIN ENTRANCE. I felt welcomed along with everyone else – no having to sneak in the back door. I could maneuver through all of the rooms with very little difficulty.

With such a gorgeous view, we just had to get closer. So, my brother and I took on the challenge of using the path to get to the narrows. Once again, (as you can tell from the video) it was a very bumpy ride. Yes, we managed, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who can’t handle bouncing around and doing wheelies repeatedly. I was pleasantly surprised that with some hard work on my brother’s part, we did make it to our destination. With the assistance of my brother, the voyage was totally worth it despite the rough terrain!

We later took another walk with the rest of the family. For this one we followed the paved roadways, thank goodness. We made our way to the beach. I was delighted to find a ramp going down to the water. It had a nice slope and was conveniently located in the middle of the long beach. I also noticed in the information packet that they now have an all-terrain water wheelchair available for use. I can’t give a review on it because I didn’t use it, but it was nice to see that something like that was an option for next time. I cannot tell you how great it felt to be able to get down onto the beach!

All in all, I was impressed by the improvements Bon Echo has made to make their park more accessible. There is always room to improve, but the new additions are much appreciated. I can’t wait to see what they do next year. Maybe I’ll get the chance to try out that water chair!