Outdoor Developed Areas: A Summary of Accessibility Standards for Federal Outdoor Developed Areas

Key Differences Between Routes

Determining the type of route required is often a challenging exercise. The following descriptions and review of the technical requirements for each type of route provides a quick reference to aid with this process.

Accessible Routes—An accessible route is a continuous, unobstructed path that connects all accessible elements and spaces of a building or facility. Interior accessible routes may include corridors, floors, ramps, elevators, lifts, and clear floor space at fixtures. Exterior accessible routes may include accessible parking space access aisles, curb ramps, crosswalks at vehicular ways, walks, ramps, and platform lifts.

Pedestrian Access Routes—A pedestrian access route, often called a sidewalk, is located in a public right-of-way and typically is parallel to a roadway. Consequently, sidewalk grades (running slopes) must generally be consistent with roadway grades so that they fit into the right-of-way. Sidewalks are designed for pedestrian transportation and are not designed for bicycles or other recreational purposes.

Pedestrian Trails—A trail typically is not parallel to a roadway and is designed primarily for recreational purposes. Trails are not necessarily part of an infrastructure connecting elements or facilities, but typically are designed to provide a recreational experience. Trails may also be used by multiple types of users, but most are not designed for bicycles, nor do they have a transportation purpose.

Outdoor Recreation Access Routes—An outdoor recreation access route (ORAR) is a continuous, unobstructed path that is intended for pedestrian use and that connects accessible elements, spaces, and facilities within camping and picnic facilities and at viewing areas and trailheads only. ORARs cannot be used at other types of facilities, such as educational campuses, office parks, or theme parks.

Beach Access Routes—A beach access route is a continuous, unobstructed path that crosses the surface of the beach to allow pedestrians to play, swim, or participate in other beach-, shoreline-, or water-related activities. A beach access route may be a permanent or removable route. Beach access routes typically coincide with or are located in the same general area as pedestrian access points to the beach. Beach access routes are not required where pedestrian access to the beach is not permitted.

Shared-Use Paths—A shared-use path is part of a transportation system in a public rightof-way that provides off-road routes for a variety of users. Even where the primary users may be bicyclists, skaters, or equestrians, shared-use paths typically are designed to serve pedestrians, including people using mobility devices such as manual or motorized wheelchairs. In addition to transportation uses, shared-use paths often provide recreational experiences. They may extend or complement a roadway network. For example, they may supplement on-road bike lanes, shared roadways, bike boulevards, and paved shoulders. Shared-use path design is similar to roadway design but on a smaller scale and for lower speeds. Whether located within a highway right-of-way, provided along a riverbank, or established over natural terrain within an independent right-of-way, shared-use paths differ from sidewalks and trails in that they are designed for a variety of users and serve both recreational and transportation purposes.

The following table highlights the key elements of design for different route types.

The following tables highlight the technical requirements for slope, width, and surface for different route types.