MOGADORE, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has opened its first Braille Trail, at Wingfoot Lake State Park in Portage County, the department announced in a news release.
According to ODNR, the quarter-mile loop was developed from an existing earthen meadow trail into a 36-inch-wide gravel path near the park’s Nature Center, built so visitors who are blind or have low vision — and visitors with mobility or sensory needs — can experience the outdoors more independently.
The department said the trail includes a self-guiding rope, interpretive signs in braille, and QR codes linked to audio descriptions. Six educational panels along the loop highlight wildlife and natural features, including white-tailed deer, bald eagles, meadows and the Goodyear Blimp, and each panel incorporates 3D-printed tactile elements. Visitors are joined along the route by Spotty, a salamander character who serves as the trail’s ambassador guide.
“This trail represents ODNR’s continued commitment to making Ohio’s natural spaces open and welcoming to everyone,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said in the release. “Wingfoot Lake State Park has always been a place for families and community, and the new Braille Trail ensures that more people can enjoy nature in a way that meets their needs and enriches their experience.”
Wingfoot Lake park manager Mike Studeny said the goal was “a place where everyone felt welcome and where individuals could discover nature in different ways that were meaningful to them.”
ODNR said the trail was funded in part by a $25,000 grant from the Portage County Board of Developmental Disabilities, with additional contributions from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Unlimited Play, and accessibility advocates and consultants. A nearby Shaded Play Pad with sensory play equipment and ADA-accessible picnic benches was also created with support from the county board, the department said.
Wingfoot Lake State Park, a day-use park just outside Akron, became part of the Ohio State Parks system in 2009. ODNR said the trail is the first of its kind in the Ohio State Parks system.
This story is based on a news release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
