New High Line Canal trail improvements, all-terrain wheelchairs make open space accessible in Aurora

Melissa Chavez grew up hiking, camping and fishing, excited for her children to experience the same things she did. Then her son, Anthony, was born with Joubert Syndrome — a rare genetic condition that left him unable to do most of the things she grew up doing. 

For the first several years of Anthony's life, Chavez's family spent most of their time in the hospital. Only recently have they been able to get back outside and live life again, she said.

The city of Aurora, where the Chavez family lives, purchased two Action Trackchairs, wheelchairs built to move on any terrain, including in snow and on rough trails.

When Anthony, 6, used the chair for the first time, he lit up and the smile on his face "said it all," Chavez said. 

"Having a child with disabilities is life altering," Chavez said. "Going from so many years of literally just trying to survive, to thriving and going out to do fun things is huge."

Purchasing the all-terrain wheelchairs is one of two recent efforts the city of Aurora has taken to improve accessibility to open space and the outdoors. It also partnered with Great Outdoors Colorado, and several other local governments, to make accessibility improvements to the 71-mile High Line Canal trail.

The wheelchairs were introduced to help people with mobility challenges enjoy Aurora's 8,000 acres of open space and over 100 miles of trails, according to Fendi Despres, a natural resource specialist for the city. 

They are free to reserve and use year-round from the Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave., and Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road.

Unlike a regular wheelchair, the Track Chairs are designed to be flexible on many different types of terrain, with a stabilizing piece on the back of the chair and big tracks similar to those on a snowmobile, Despres said.

"Everyone should have the opportunity to experience and spend time in nature," Despres said. "There's lots of benefits to just being outside, especially for people who already are more restricted in the time that they can spend outside."

Chavez said the wheelchair purchase by the city made her family, and others in her position, feel heard and included. 

"It shows that they're thinking about families like ours and opens doors for us to live life to the fullest," Chavez said, mentioning the challenges of purchasing and transporting that kind of expensive and heavy equipment by themselves. 

While it's beneficial to Anthony Chavez, it's also a huge help for Chavez's grandparents, who are elderly and can't move around as easily as they used to, she said.

"I grew up going camping with them, so to know that this could potentially help them see the outdoors again is great," Chavez said. 

Around the same time that Aurora introduced the wheelchairs, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) granted $7 million to the High Line Canal Conservancy, in partnership with Arapahoe County, the City of Aurora, and the City and County of Denver for trail improvements. 

The money will go toward improvements to 28 miles of the 71-mile trail's northeast segment and is part of GOCO's Centennial Program, which supports projects that will have lasting impacts on Colorado and its future generations, according to a news release. 

The $7 million is part of nearly $100 million in public and private investments that have been raised to improve the canal.

High Line Canal trail's northeast segment runs through Arapahoe, Denver and Adams Counties and through the City of Aurora. 

"The High Line Canal is a historic resource, it's an environmental resource and it's a tremendous recreational resource," High Line Canal Conservancy CEO Harriet LaMair said. 

In total, the canal trail connects 8,000 acres of open space in addition to that of the trail itself. It also connects over 24 schools and dozens of neighborhoods, LaMair said. 

While the trail is a great recreational resource for people, it also serves as a resource for plants and wildlife, with over 24,000 trees and lots of native plants, 199 identified species of birds, 28 species of mammals and over 15 species of reptiles. 

It runs through diverse and under-resourced communities, LaMair said, and the improvements include making the trail easier to access from those communities. 

Plans for the improvements have been in the works for seven years, according to the release. The planning has included hundreds of community events to figure out what people near the canal want to see, LaMair said.

Included in the plan are several projects specific to Aurora.

• Accessible access points: three pedestrian bridges will be built at 8th Avenue, Laredo Elementary School and 17th Avenue. Four other trail access points will be improved for safety.
• Linear Park Loop Canal Improvement Zone: shade structures, seating, nature exploration areas, public art and other improvements will be added to the three-mile stretch of trail connecting High Line Canal, Sand Creek Greenway, Triple Creek Trailhead and Star K Ranch.
• Laredo Highline Canal Improvement Zone: gathering areas with shade structures, an outdoor classroom, improved access points, nature exploration, seating and trashcans will be added to the Laredo Highline area.
• Lyn Knoll and Highline Villages: trail enhancements that improve access and natural resources to the Lyn Knoll and Highline Villages neighborhood will be made.
• Tree Planting Pilot: a pilot program to plant drought-tolerant trees on the canal in Aurora to provide shade.
• Natural resource restoration: the condition of the canal will be improved by removing hazardous trees, debris and non-native plants. 
• Signage: signs for wayfinding and education will go up to help trail users understand the canal's history. 

The projects are part of a canal-wide effort to improve the entire 71-mile trail, which includes a leverage for $100 million of public funding to invest in the canal over five years, according to the release. 

"We're going to continue to provide programs and community events along the canal and hope that community members over time take on the canal as their own community resource," LaMair said.