This year, National Trails Day falls on June 7th, and as always it serves as a great opportunity for folks to reflect on the trails they love most and the work that goes into protecting them. There are hundreds of trails across the Kittatinny Ridge landscape that may come to mind, however only a small proportion of those trails are accessible for people with mobility issues. Recognizing its responsibility to provide publicly accessible open space for all, the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC) has made accessibility improvements to its Letort Spring Garden Preserve by installing a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant parking area and paved trail, along with a number of other improvements.
The Preserve is located just two miles south of Carlisle and provides visitors the opportunity to learn about local history, observe wildlife, and enjoy quality time in scenic natural spaces. These new improvements welcome people of all abilities to the historic Melester Barn, which serves as a gateway to the Preserve trails, including the three-mile Letort Nature Trail that connects the Preserve with Carlisle Borough.
Additional improvements along the new ADA-trail include bird feeders, an ADA-compliant picnic table and bench, and native plants and trees installed along the length of the trail by volunteers and CPC staff. These improvements were made possible through the support of a number of state and local partners and donors, including the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Cumberland County, the Carlisle Area Economic Development Corporation, the Partnership for Better Health, the PPL Corporation, and the American Water Foundation.
An additional grant from the Partnership for Better Health and the American Water Foundation will be used in 2025 to add a wheelchair ramp to the barn, install rain gardens, cultivate more native plant species, and post interpretive signage with information about the site’s history and ecology. Be sure to visit the Preserve at 1110 South Spring Garden Street, Carlisle, PA, 17013 later this year to check out the new improvements! And visit our website here to stay up to date.