Sunnyvale Baylands Park - Accessibility Assessment

Trail rating - Easy

Trail length - Over a mile within the park boundaries

Trail type - Loop and linear

Trail uses - Hiking, bicycles, strollers, and wheelchairs

Cumulative elevation change - Less than 2% for most of the trails 
                                                               - Wave Walk trail has 8% grade hills

Typical grade, cross slope - Flat

Trail width and surface - Dirt

Hazard and obstructions - None

Cellular Service Signal Strength - Good

Pets allowed - No

Accessible parking spaces - the parking areas closest to the trails have a 5 feet access aisle, which works for cars.  Wheelchair accessible vans need a 8 foot accessible aisle. But, the parking lots on the other side of the road do have wheelchair van accessible access aisles. So I don’t see this has a major problem.  It is preferred though to have wheelchair van accessible parking closet to the trails or rest rooms.

Drinking fountains - They met ADA requirements for access.

Rest rooms - the paper towel dispensers were within reach, but might be difficult for someone that is short.  The toilet stalls and sinks were accessible.  The only issue, which is a common problem for wheelchair users, is that the restrooms doors were hard to push open. 

Picnic tables - The few that I tried were accessible.

Trails - All the trails were wide enough and most of them met ADA requirements for wheelchairs access.

Cell phone service - Was good

Sunnyvale Baylands Park fits just about everyone’s search for fun and relaxation. There is more than a mile in trails, and the park is also connected to the Bay Trail. There are playgrounds, a huge grassy area for sports, flying a kite, and sometimes people will fly their model planes. At the back of the park is a seasonal marshland where you can enjoy looking for birds from a viewing platform. The park has several areas with BBQ pits and picnic tables. Most of the dirt trails are flat, but the Wave Walk has 8% grade hills. The park has accessible restrooms and parking.

Overall, I really like Sunnyvale Baylands Park, it is very wheelchair accessible.  I will be going back soon to do another photo shoot, and will then write a review for the Santa Clara County Parks website and my blog.

Thank you,
Mobility Mark