Field Trip Physical Demand & Accessibility
Planning your Field Trips Using our Physical Demand Rating
Trip titles in the Field Trip Guidebook are color coded with a physical demand rating to help you decide whether the activity level matches your abilities.
Each trip is unique in its location and activities. Please reach us at FieldTrips@WisConservation.org or (608) 409-3123 if you have questions about the physical demand levels or accommodations for a specific Field Trip.
Using standard and outdoor wheelchairs on Field Trips
We are dedicated to providing opportunities for people with various physical abilities to join us out in the field. If you, a family member, or friend have mobility challenges, we have several options. See below for a list of standard-wheelchair accessible Field Trips and information on using outdoor wheelchairs from our friends at Access Ability Wisconsin.
The 26 Field Trips below are accessible for standard-wheelchairs:
| Trip # | Title | Date 1 | Date 2 (if applicable) | Time | Nearest Town | County |
| 2 | Waterfowl Identification at Goose Pond | Thursday, April 27 | 6-8:30PM | Arlington | Columbia | |
| 7 | Spring Ephemerals & Edibles in an Urban Gem | Sunday, April 30 | Saturday, May 13 | 9:30-11:30AM | Wauwatosa | Milwaukee |
| 40 | Tour of UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences | Wednesday, May 17 | 10AM-12PM | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | |
| 58 | Forest Bathing & Foraging: Pheasant Branch | Sunday, May 21 | 9AM-12PM | Middleton | Dane | |
| 60 | Peninsula State Park: Geology & Accessibility | Thursday, May 25 | 1-3PM | Fish Creek | Door | |
| 78 | Pontoon the Mississippi River | Saturday, June 3 | Saturday, October 14 | 1-3PM | Winona, MN | |
| 101 | Through the Eyes of the Coyote | Saturday, June 10 | Saturday, June 24 | 9AM-12PM | Wauwatosa | Milwaukee |
| 137 | Become a Purple Martin Landlord | Friday, July 7 | 8AM-11AM | Oregon | Dane | |
| 146 | LaCrosse Landfill | Wednesday, July 12 | 9-10AM | La Crosse | La Crosse | |
| 150 | Adams Garden Park: Urban Nature Restoration | Thursday, July 13 | 1-3PM | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | |
| 153 | Lakeshore State Park: Urban Oasis | Friday, July 14 | 10AM-12PM | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | |
| 164 | Behind the Scenes Tour of a Wildlife Hospital | Wednesday, July 19 | 12-2PM | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | |
| 180 | Demystify Waste: Tour Dane County Landfill & Trash Lab | Thursday, August 3 | Saturday, August 12 | 9-10:30AM | Madison | Dane |
| 188 | Falling in Love with the Night Sky: Wyalusing | Thursday, August 10 | 8:30-11PM | Prairie du Chien | Grant | |
| 205 | Hummingbirds: Ecology & Banding | Saturday, August 26 | 7:30-9:30AM | Milton | Rock | |
| 230 | Birding for Everyone with Access Ability Wisconsin | Friday, September 15 | 5:30-8PM | Verona | Dane | |
| 241 | Nevin State Fish Hatchery: Raising Healthy Trout | Saturday, September 30 | 9:30-11:30AM | Fitchburg | Dane | |
| 249 | Behind the Scenes at the Wisconsin State Herbarium | Saturday, October 7 | 9AM-12PM | Madison | Dane | |
| 256 | Crane Roosting Tour at Crex Meadows | Friday, October 20 | 4:30-7PM | Grantsburg | Burnett | |
| 257 | Owls under the Stars | Friday, October 20 | 7-10PM | Fall Creek | Eau Claire | |
| 263 | Migration on the Mighty Mississippi | Friday, November 3 | Monday, November 6 | 8:30AM-3PM | La Crosse | La Crosse |
Use an all-terrain outdoor wheelchair
Access Ability Wisconsin
Access Ability Wisconsin (AAW) was created to facilitate and provide the means for individuals with mobility challenges to access and enjoy Wisconsin’s natural resources, and to provide recreational opportunities for all physically challenged people, not just wheelchair users, but anyone, regardless of age, with a permanent or temporary mobility challenge who wants to enjoy the Wisconsin outdoors.
AAW has all-terrain Outdoor Wheelchairs (OWC) which use rubber tank-like tracks available to reserve and use free of charge at several locations throughout the state. You can reserve an OWC through AAW and tow it to other locations using an AAW enclosed trailer. Use the chair on your own outdoor excursion or on one of our Field Trips (contact us to discuss options).
Watch all-terrain wheelchairs in action: AAW video footage
More Resources for Exploring the Outdoors
Open the Outdoors is your resource for all of the available recreation options for individuals with disabilities.
Find out more: Wisconsin DNR – Open the Outdoors
Banner photo by Caitlin Williamson. Photo of family with all-terrain outdoor wheelchair courtesy of Riveredge Nature Center. Photo of person in all-terrain wheelchair posing in front of trailer courtesy of Access Ability Wisconsin.
Christine Tanzer
Field Trip Program Director
(608) 409-3123
Christine.Tanzer@WisConservation.org
Christine has been at the helm of NRF's Field Trip program since 1997. She has coordinated over 3,000 trips, helping tens of thousands of people explore Wisconsin's most special places.