RUSSELL, Mass. – A new trail in Western Massachusetts is helping bring the benefits of a quiet hike in the woods to the disability community following the efforts of a local advocate for accessible trails.

Meg Bandarra, founder of Unpaved Trails for All, said when she developed her disabling condition, everything upended, and it felt like her world got smaller.

“Getting back into the woods helped my world expand again,” Bandarra said. “Accessible trails have definitely improved my health and well-being in so many ways.”

Bandarra, along with leaders from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Office of Outdoor Recreation, gathered Wednesday to celebrate the opening of the half-mile Noble View All-Persons Trail. The path features gentler grades, stable surfaces and plenty of signage, making it clear the trail can be easily navigated by people with a disability, the elderly or small children.

Lyn Horan, one of a few dozen people who tried out the new path, was excited to be able to get out in the woods for awhile.

“We love the outdoors too,” Horan said. “It’s good for us. I’m actually married to a forest conservationist, so it’s very near and dear to us, and he can’t go with me on a lot of trails.”

Massachusetts has roughly 4,000 miles of trails, but only seven miles are considered accessible. Trails like the Noble View All-Persons Trail could soon become more frequent, however, as the state launches the new Trails For All initiative.

Paul Jahnige, director of the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation, said the effort is important because of who’s going to be actively involved in planning the trails.

“A lot of the time, we think about designing trails for people with disabilities, and the importance of this initiative is that people with lived experience and disabilities are going to be working on this working group and designing trails for all of us to be able to participate,” Jahnige said.

The Noble View All-Persons Trail took roughly two years to complete, so the process doesn’t happen very quickly, but Jahnige and others said the benefits will stand for years to come.

“Really getting down to work to focus on how we break down the barriers to accessibility and make Massachusetts as inviting and accessible a place to play outside as possible,” Jahnige said.

For more information on the new Trails for All initiative, visit the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation website.