Physical / Mobility

Visitor Center

The visitor center is located at:

14707 Park Central Rd
Thurmont, MD 21788

In the visitor center area there is:

• parking lot, visitor center, bookstore, restrooms (within the visitor center), and access to hiking trails.

Back to Accessibility.

Parking

The parking lot at the visitor center has:

• 1 van-accessible space
• 2 standard accessible space s
• 2 EV (electric vehcile) spaces
• 34 other parking spaces

Paths

The path between the parking area and the visitor center is:

• At a minimum 57.5 inches wide

• 71 feet long

• Paved and mostly level.

• There is a small lip between the access aisle from the accessible parking spaces to the sidewalk leading to the visitor center entrance.

Restrooms

Restrooms are located in the visitor center.

The restrooms are:

• split into Men and Women,

• Men's restroom has 2 stalls and 1 larger stall intended for wheelchair users,
  Women's restroom, has 3 stalls and 1 larger stall intended for wheelchair users,

• running water,

• the pipes under the sinks do not currently have protection/padding,

• child-sized changing tables are available in the (Men's room, Women’s room, both?).

Information Desk

• As you enter the building, there is an information desk, just past the vestibule on the right.

• On the far side of the information desk, there is an area with a lower portion, where you can ask questions of the park staff and pay for anything purchased from the bookstore.

Exhibits

• The visitor features exhibits where you can learn about the history of the area.

• There is room to navigate around the exhibits in a wheelchair.

Bookstore

• There is a bookstore and gift shop in the visitor center.

• There is room to navigate around the bookstore.

• Assistance is available from bookstore staff to reach items on higher shelves.

• The card reader used to pay for bookstore purchases is detachable so it can be used by someone in a wheelchair.

Picnic Areas

Chestnut Picnic Area

This picnic area is located at: 15009 Park Central Rd, Sabillasville, MD 21780

This picnic area has:

• parking, restrooms, picnic tables, and access to trails.

Parking

• 2 accessible parking spaces

• 28 standard parking spaces

Restrooms

There are restrooms at this picnic area. The restrooms are:

• split into Men and Women,

• Men's restroom has 1 urinal and 1 larger stall intended for wheelchair users, Women's restroom has 2 stalls and 1 larger stall intended for wheelchair users.

• running water,

• the pipes under the sinks do not currently have protection/padding,

• child-sized changing tables are available in the (Men's room, Women’s room, both?).

Paths

There is no designated path between the parking area and the picnic tables. Visitors typically travel over the ground, which is a mix of hard compacted dirt, grass, and roots.

Picnic Tables

There are 25 wheelchair-accessible picnic tables in the picnic area. There are fire rings and grills in this area.

Drinking Water

Currently, drinking water is not available at this picnic area, but will soon be replaced. The nearest drinking water is available at: include place name and address.

Owens Creek Picnic Area

This picnic area is located 0.6 mile south of Owens Creek Campground along Foxville Deerfield Road. This picnic area is built on a very steep hill and none of the paths are accessible.

This picnic area has:

• parking, restrooms, and picnic tables.

Parking

There are no specifically identified accessible parking spaces. Parking is spread out around a loop, typically in groups of 5–8 parking spots. There is parking in front of the vault toilets.

Restrooms

There are two single-user vault toilets in the picnic area. There is a 18-inch gap between the gravel by the parking lot and the concrete pad that the vault toilet is on.

Inside each stall there is:

• a vault-style toilet,

• grab bars along the back and side walls,

• hand sanitizer,

• a coat/bag hook on the back of the door.

There is no running water in the restrooms. Since the paths between the picnic tables and the restrooms is not accessible, we suggest visitors with mobility concerns drive between the two locations.

Paths

There are paths between the different groupings of picnic tables. These paths are:

• dirt with many tree roots and rocks,

• very steep in most sections and difficult to traverse.

Picnic Tables

Picnic tables are grouped in a couple of different areas (marked on the map). There are a few picnic tables with extended tops meant for visitors in wheelchairs to be able to pull up underneath. There are standing grills in this area.