Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails

Slopes and Resting Intervals for Beach Access Routes

Running slope, also referred to as "grade," is the lengthwise slope of a beach access route, parallel to the direction of travel. Sections of beach access route of any length are allowed to have a running slope ratio of up to 1:20 (5 percent grade) (see figure 37). Steeper terrain may make this slope difficult to achieve. Many visitors can negotiate steeper slopes for short distances, so running slopes up to 1:12 (8.33 percent) are permitted for up to 50 feet (15 meters), and running slopes of up to 1:10 (10 percent) are permitted for up to 30 feet (9 meters). To ensure that the beach access route isn't designed as a series of steep segments, no more than 15 percent of the total length of the beach access route may exceed a slope of 1:12 (8.33 percent), as shown in table 4.

Table 4—Beach access route running slope and segment length.

Cross slopes—the side-to-side slope of a beach access route—are not allowed to exceed 1:33 (3 percent, see figure 37). When the surface is paved or is built with boards, the cross slope is not allowed to be steeper than 1:48 (2 percent).

Resting intervals are relatively level areas that provide an opportunity for people to catch their breath before continuing along the beach access route. These intervals are required between each segment of the beach access route any time the running slope exceeds 1:20 (5 percent). A resting interval must be at least 60 inches (1,525 millimeters) by 60 inches (1,525 millimeters).

The slopes of a resting interval are not allowed to exceed 1:33 (3 percent) in any direction. When the surface is paved or is built with boards, the slope is not allowed to be steeper than 1:48 (2 percent) in any direction.