Happier Campers : A Wheeler Gorge Recreation Site Is Designed With the Disabled in Mind

Ellen Lee used to enjoy picnicking and fishing with her children at Wheeler Gorge Campground in Los Padres National Forest.

That was before the Oak View resident was found to have multiple sclerosis. She now uses a wheelchair to get around.

“I haven’t been here since I got my wheelchair,” said Lee, 57. “There were just too many obstacles.”

But thanks to a newly designed campsite, Lee and many others with physical disabilities can now enjoy the quiet scenery of Wheeler Gorge.

Campsite 15 is designed to make a night under the stars more comfortable for the disabled. It is the first in Southern California to be fully wheelchair-friendly and attractively blend in with its surroundings.

“It’s just so beautiful,” Lee said as she toured the site Tuesday. “There just aren’t enough places like this where everyone can get around.”

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A small campsite improvement can make a big difference, Lee said.

“I had to give up a lot of things I used to like to do. But if I can get out like this once in awhile, it would be so nice, a real treat.

“It makes me feel more like a whole person again.”

Campground Manager John Crossman was also pleased with the addition to the grounds.

“It’s about time,” he said. “No one should feel hampered from coming here.”

Few disabled people tried to use the 73-site campground before the renovation, Crossman said.

“I think a lot of people feel shut out from the fun. But hopefully word will get out and more disabled people will visit.”

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From a distance, the creek-side campsite looks like any other. But closer examination reveals a shorter, squatter outdoor fireplace and a picnic table built to accommodate wheelchairs, both atop a perfectly level area.

Those factors make it possible for people in wheelchairs to grill, eat and move about with ease. Other campsites for the disabled lack the specialized fireplace and are unattractively paved in concrete instead of pulverized granite.

“The whole idea is to make the recreation experience fun instead of a chore,” said Leslie Jehnings, a landscape architect who designed the campsite for the U. S. Forest Service.

“How many people with disabilities get to camp right next to a creek? We’re working on that.”

The site, completed last week, is the first of what Jehnings expects to be dozens of user-friendly campsites throughout Los Padres and Southern California.

The Forest Service hopes to revamp four more sites at Wheeler Gorge by year’s end, Jehnings said.

“It wasn’t difficult or expensive to build,” said Matthew Gross, an Ojai-based contractor who volunteered to construct the site. “These projects can be done anywhere without requiring a lot of time or money.”

The sites cost about $800 to revamp--about the same price tag for periodic campsite repairs, Jehnings said.

Campsite 15 will not be reserved exclusively for the physically disabled. Parents with small children and people with crutches are also encouraged to use the site. For reservations for Wheeler Gorge Campground, call 1-(800) 280-CAMP.

Jehnings said the site represents a new movement in designing public parks.

“Planning for the disabled isn’t just an afterthought anymore,” she said. “It’s part of the integral design. We’re working toward a world free of barriers.”