SF Bay Water ADA Trail Plan

Can you make a network of boat launches along a 1,000-mile water trail accessible to people with disabilities? Can you launch an outrigger canoe off the beach with six paddlers, some of whom are in wheelchairs? Yes, you can.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail encompasses most of the 1,000 miles of Bay shoreline. Of course, it’s not a real trail—it’s water, so you can go anywhere you want to. It’s the getting in and out that’s the issue for people with disabilities. Now anyone in the Bay Area can find out which beaches are good for launching and are accessible for people with disabilities. The Accessibility Plan helps open up the water trail to people with disabilities by both improving accessibility and standardizing site information. The plan includes analysis and solutions for ten different types of non-motorized crafts, from dragon boats to stand up paddling, and five different types of launch facilities.

The Water Trail Program is funded by the California Coastal Conservancy and the Association of Bay Area Governments.