June has always been my favorite month, mostly because my birthday is the 30th. I also love that it’s the start of summer. June marks the Great Outdoors Month, a celebration that encourages people to connect with nature, explore the wilderness, and foster a deeper appreciation for the environment that sustains us all.
According to the National Park Service website, on June 5th, 2019, the US Senate officially designated June as ‘Great Outdoors Month.’ ‘Great Outdoors Week’ began under President Clinton in 1998 and has grown under the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations into a month-long celebration of the outdoors. Since 2008, governors from across the country have joined in designating June as a month to celebrate the great outdoors, and more than half the states have already proclaimed June as Great Outdoors Month!
For me, I love to sail; it has been something I look forward to every year. Since my injury, I have been sailing with an organization called Downtown Sailing Center. It gives people with all abilities the opportunity to get out of their wheelchair and have a fun day sailing around the Inner Harbor. This center offers free options and group rates for families, work groups, and everything in between. Check out their website for more information on this incredible organization: https://www.downtownsailing.org/
Another great organization is The Impossible Dream, a universally accessible catamaran dedicated to raising awareness of barrier-free design and improving the quality of life for disabled persons through sailing. They make yearly trips to Baltimore, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, just to name a few. Check out their website to see when they are coming to an area near you: https://www.theimpossibledream.org/
If the beach is your thing, Ocean City and Assateague Island are the perfect destinations for you. You can even rent a Sand Helper to ride independently on the sand.
In a world filled with constant noise and distraction, Great Outdoors Month serves as a gentle reminder to slow down, unplug, and reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world. Whether you prefer the solitude of a solitary hike or the camaraderie of a group camping trip, there’s something undeniably magical about immersing oneself in the beauty of nature. So, as June unfolds before us, let us heed the call of the wild, embracing the boundless wonders that await us just beyond our doorstep.
I love traveling and reading about the accessibility at these sites really makes me want to visit one day.
List of national parks and campground that are accessible:
- Yellowstone National Park
- Navajo Lakes RV Park and Campground
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Mesa Spirit RV Resort
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
- Beaver Lake Campground
- Acadia National Park
- Advanced RV Resort
- Glacier National Park
If you would like to stay closer to home, Solomon Island, Calvert Cliffs State Park, Scotland, Maryland, and Point Lookout State Park all offer many ways to connect with nature. These places I learned about from this site: https://marylandroadtrips.com/accessible-travels-in-maryland-for-everyone-to-enjoy/