Content Creators

Syren Nagakyrie’s The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Northern California and The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon take hikers beyond “is this trail accessible” to “will this trail work for me.”

Written by a disabled hiker for the disability community, these FalconGuides offer detailed information about outdoor adventures across two of the country’s most spectacular regions. The guides include everything from scenic drives and viewpoints to verified wheelchair-accessible trails, and hiking trails for disabled hikers, with information about terrain, grades, obstacles, rest areas, transportation, maps and more.

The Northern California guide features more than 40 adventures stretching from Monterey to the Oregon border. The Western Washington and Oregon guide includes 60.

What makes these guides particularly powerful, however, is the Spoon Trail Rating System, created by Nagakyrie and used both in the books and on the Disabled Hikers website.

The one-to-five-spoon system starts with the ease of getting to the trail, and includes amenities, terrain, elevation, obstacles, wheelchair accessibility, planning requirements and the overall energy a trail may demand. A one-spoon trail is generally short, level, paved and easy to navigate. Five-spoon adventures may involve significant elevation, challenging terrain and extensive planning.

The goal isn’t to declare a trail accessible or inaccessible. It’s to give travelers enough information to decide whether it is accessible for them.

Check out the guidebooks, explore implementing the rating system, and reach out for your own training, assessment, or consultation.

Two books. Dozens of adventures. And a rating system that puts more information into the hands of the people who need it most.

TravelAbility’s Candy Harrington of Emerging Horizons has published the first guidebook dedicated exclusively to wheelchair-accessible destinations, lodgings and recreational opportunities. 101 Accessible Vacations contains destination information on over 101 cities, lodging options, national parks, tourist attractions and recreational activities around the country. The book is organized so readers can search for a holiday based on their specific interests or travel styles. 

Unlike other guidebooks that are organized geographically, 101 Accessible Vacations includes sections ranging from road trips and the great outdoors to historic haunts and cruising. 

Candy describes the access of all attractions, lodging options and tourist sights, rather than just stating that something is or isn’t accessible. After all, accessibility is in the eye of the beholder and what may be accessible to one person can be filled with obstacles to someone else.

Harrington says, “There’s a world of travel choices out there for wheelers and slow walkers. And this book contains many of those choices along with updated resources, information and access details to make them a reality.”

Pick up a copy from your favorite book seller or order online.

Amy Tarpein, from TravelAbility’s Influencer Project, has another best seller.

Amy Tarpein’s new book, Route 66: An Accessible Guide to America’s Most Iconic Road Trip, was an Amazon bestseller right from the start. As mom to Elijah of Elijah’s Baby Bucketlist, Amy chose Route 66 as his Make A Wish trip in 2022. They did a two week road trip, but they’ve been back twice since. This guide was born out of experience and necessity. 

Route 66: An Accessible Guide to America’s Most Iconic Road Trip is reshaping how families all over the world plan their Mother Road adventures. Written by award‑winning accessible travel writer and international bestselling author Amy Tarpein, this guide is the first of its kind created from real lived-experience.

Amy traveled Route 66 with her four children including her medically complex son, Elijah, documenting what worked, what didn’t, and what every family deserves to know before setting out. The result is a warm, practical, deeply human resource that blends storytelling with actionable tools.

Inside the book, readers will find:

• Step‑free routes and mobility considerations
• Sensory notes and family‑tested recommendations
• Tips for traveling with medical equipment
• Strategies for multi‑generational trips
• Interactive reflective sections at the end of each chapter
• Practical checklists and curated resources to support planning

The book’s impact has already reached far beyond the United States. Readers from Singapore to Australia and across the country have shared that they purchased the guide and are now planning their own Route 66 journeys with confidence. It is also a bestseller on Amazon. It is available on Amazon, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.

This is more than a travel book. It is an invitation for families of all ages and abilities to experience the history, joy, and freedom of America’s most iconic road trip in a way that feels welcoming, informed, and accessible. 

“When we make travel accessible, we make room for more stories, more memories, and more magic.” Amy Tarpein