Benches at Saguaro National Park
In 2019, Friends provided support for Saguaro National Park to resurface and redevelop the Desert Ecology and Mica View trails in the Rincon Mountain District (east) and the Desert Discovery trail in the Tucson Mountain District (west) of Saguaro National Park to meet ADA requirements. During the redevelopment, the park decided that permanent, universally designed accessible benches were needed along each of these three popular trails.
Thanks to the support from the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation, Tucson Electric Power, Kevin Dahl, and other anonymous donors, the sixteen benches have been installed. Additionally, improvements are being made to the Mica View trail to expand the trail surface around thoughtfully placed benches that will have accessible clear space at both ends as well as backs and arm rests to enhance the ease of use.