Loading...Connects: Independence Pass Road (HWY 82), Discovery Trail
Signs with braille and ropes guide users
Aspen, CO – Easy – 0.2 Mile Loop – Hike, Dog Friendly – Dirt
The Braille Trail is an easy trail you can hike that is dog friendly. This is a 0.2 mile dirt loop trail near Independence Pass in Aspen, CO.
To access the trailhead, from Aspen drive 12.6 miles up Independence Pass Road (HWY 82). The trail is located on the right, past mile marker 53, with a sign for the Discovery/Braille Day Use Area.
More information about the Braille Trail can be found at:
White River National Forest – Discovery/Braille Trail (Hiking)
The Discovery and Braille Trails are designed to provide easy access to nature in a tranquil setting. Intended to be accessible to the very young and to the physically challenged, these trails offer beauty and inspiration to all in a serene, vibrant sanctuary. You are encouraged to take your time on these trails and enjoy nature using all of your senses.
The Discovery Trail was developed in 1996-97 by the nonprofit Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, in cooperation with the White River National Forest. It was designed to provide wheelchair access to the forest and to the Roaring Fork River. The signs along the trail illustrate and describe the natural and human history of the area and provide opportunities for visitors to interact with their surroundings.
The Braille Trail was designed and built in the late 1960s by Aspen biology teacher and environmental leader Bob Lewis with the help of volunteers. Trail improvements made between 2006 and 2010 did not alter Bob’s original concept of a trail where visitors could experience nature intimately. The first of its kind, the Braille Trail inspired the development of hundreds of similar trails around the world.”
The Roaring Fork Braille Trail, in the White River National Forest, honors the life of Louis Braille and his contribution to sightless people throughout the world. The trail is self-guided and appeals to sighted people by identifying the plants and animals that occur along the trail. This trail is dedicated to all people, blind and sighted, in the hopes that they will have their own experience with nature similar to that of Louis Braille one hundred and fifty years ago.
Sighted persons can close their eyes grasp the guidewire and walk the trail to experience nature with their sense of smell, touch and hearing.”
Welcome to the Braille Nature Trail. This trail was designed by Bob Lewis to give all visitors an opportunity to use their senses to better understand and enjoy nature. The guide rope along the left side of the path will help visitors stay on the trail. A single knot in the rope indicates an upcoming interpretive sign. The trail length is equivalent to one city block and traverses some uneven terrain. Please enjoy the Independence Pass Braille Trail.”
