State park improves trail that helps visually impaired people experience sequoias

An improved trail for visually impaired people runs through part of Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

The park celebrated the recent work on the Three Senses Trail with a ribbon-cutting by Ryder Sitch, a 9-year-old resident of nearby Arnold, and his mother Yvonne. Ryder is visually impaired himself and helped with planning of the project.

The 600-foot trail was built in 1974 in the North Grove near the park visitor center. People who cannot see the massive trees can still touch and smell them and listen to the wildlife in the area.

The $200,000 upgrade includes widening of the trail, compacting of the fill material under it, new benches and signs, and a revised trail guide. The work will wrap up next spring with the creation of a “touching garden.”

Funding came from the Lions Clubs International Foundation, the District 4-A1 Lions Club, the Calaveras Community Foundation, other donors to the state park, and Sierra Pacific Industries, which has large timber holdings near Big Trees.

A 1993 story in the Modesto Bee told of how retired schoolteacher Mary Wilson helped create the original trail.

“I remember noticing that there was a group of trees that seemed to be so inviting,” she said. “You could stop and listen to the birds, feel the bark and smell everything. You could experience those three senses without using your sight at all.”