New Visually Impaired Trail helps El Paso County residents connect with nature
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- A new trail inside Bear Creek Nature Center in El Paso County is giving residents a lot to talk about. The new Visually Impaired trail is designed to accommodate folks who have low vision or cannot see.
On Friday, the Bear Creek staff showcased the new trail and had a ribbon-cutting celebration.
The VIP trail is less than a mile long and has adjustments along the way to help those who have difficulty seeing. When people get to the Bear Creek Nature Center they can go to the Visitor Center and ask for a visually impaired audio pen. After that, people can head down to the VIP trail and enjoy the wonders of the new path.
Once you enter the trail there's a rope that helps folks keep their balance. That same rope has a knot at the end of it, letting you know you've reached your first informative sign. There are about seven signs along the path.
"They check it out to you and on the upper right-hand corner of each sign you scan the pen over it and there is a recording that reads back what's on that sign," said Monica Gimbel, a visually impaired resident.
El Paso County also built a boardwalk on the trail to help hikers keep a steady balance throughout the entire experience.
"So that people that are walking this trail can do it independently and learn about the park and other things about nature here," said Stan Vanderwerf, County Commissioner for District 3.
For all those who would like to visit the trail, the center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday.
