National Ability Center

08/24/2026

The NAC joins our community in mourning the passing of Colin Hilton, longtime President and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.

For more than two decades, Colin helped ensure that the legacy of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was measured not simply by the venues that remained, but by what continued to happen within them—athletes training, young people discovering sport, and communities finding new opportunities to participate.

For those of us at the National Ability Center who knew and worked with Colin over the years, he was also a connector. He brought people and organizations together and genuinely cared about creating opportunities for all athletes.

That spirit has had a positive impact on our NAC mission. Through the years, our athletes, coaches and participants have trained, gathered and shared adaptive sport at Utah’s Olympic venues alongside athletes of every level. Colin understood that these places could be more than monuments to a moment in time. They could continue creating opportunity long into the future.

As Utah looks ahead to welcoming the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games again in 2034, Colin’s influence will remain deeply felt. We are grateful for his leadership, his belief in the power of sport and the lasting contribution he made to our Park City community and to the Olympic and Paralympic movement.

Our thoughts are with Colin’s family, his colleagues at the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and the many people whose lives he touched.

Colin Hilton, an influential figure in winter sports in Utah for decades, died on Friday at home, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation said on Saturday.

08/18/2026

Calling all volunteers to Summit Challenge in Park City on August 29th! 🚲

Nearly 1,000 disabled and non-disabled cyclists are expected to take on Summit Challenge, and we need a few more hands to help make the ride happen.

We’re especially looking for a bike mechanic. Is that you? Or someone you know? No mechanic skills? No problem. We’re still looking for general volunteers to help out throughout Summit Challenge!

Rather ride than volunteer? Rally your team and register for one of the best rides of the summer!

🔧 Volunteer: https://bit.ly/4qmlPKW or email [[email protected]]

🚲 Ride: https://bit.ly/4vDjkVD

See you on course!

[Carousel description: Eleven photos capture the cyclists, volunteers, and community surrounding the National Ability Center’s Summit Challenge cycling event in Park City, Utah. Adaptive and non-disabled cyclists ride together through the mountain landscape using traditional bicycles, recumbent cycles, and other adaptive equipment. Throughout the carousel, volunteers repair bikes, staff aid stations, support riders, accompany participants, and community members cheer on cyclists. Images also show riders waving along the course, a large gathering of cyclists, adaptive athletes crossing event areas, and volunteers welcoming participants with finisher medals.]

08/17/2026

Utah Group Ride photo dump at Utah Olympic Park with Wasatch Adaptive Sports & Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports - Outdoor Recreation for All ‼️

This ride was a little different from our last one at Woodward Park City for one reason: trail obstacles.

One downed tree turned into a traffic jam. A couple of corners were just tight enough that riders needed an extra push to get around them. Small things like these show why “adaptive-friendly mountain bike trails” matter.

So, what does “adaptive-friendly mountain bike trails” actually mean?

Our able-bodied content creator’s first thought was that the NAC wanted to start cutting down trees on Park City’s infamous unsanctioned skidders to make room for wider adaptive bikes. And while that might be a dream come true for some adaptive riders, it’s not exactly practical.

The goal is much simpler: as communities build new mountain bike trails, we want trail designers to consider adaptive bikes from the start.

Adaptive bikes can be wider and need more room to corner. A few extra inches in a turn, the placement of an obstacle, or the width of an access point can make the difference between riding through and needing help. That doesn’t mean making trails easier or less technical. It means designing the same challenges with different bikes in mind.

Designing for adaptive access from the beginning doesn’t add cost as going back later to widen corners, move obstacles, and retrofit a trail does. We don’t want fewer challenges. We want fewer barriers that thoughtful trail design can prevent in the first place.

Register for the final Utah Group Ride of the season at our link in bio! Join us at Snowbasin on September 10 from 4 to 6 PM. The pedal-up is green, and the descent will be blue flow trails. 

[Carousel description: A 15-photo carousel from a Utah Adaptive Group Ride at Utah Olympic Park in Park City. Adaptive mountain bikers ride three-wheeled bikes through wooded singletrack and rocky, banked turns alongside support riders. The photos show riders navigating narrow trail sections, receiving assistance through tight areas, riding together, and tackling technical terrain.]

08/13/2026

Yesterday, Team Depot transformed spaces across the National Ability Center’s Park City campus.

Through the The Home Depot Foundation, volunteers got to work across our Ranch campus, building a new accessible playground from PlayCore, assembling new outdoor furniture, installing new corral fencing at our arena, painting a mural, upgrading our dog park, and tackling projects throughout campus.

What they built and improved in a single day will become part of the NAC experience for thousands of participants, families, volunteers and community members in the years ahead.

We’re grateful for partners who believe in investing in the places where community is built. This was an incredible investment in our campus and, more importantly, in the people who make it what it is.

Thank you to Team Depot, The Home Depot Foundation and everyone who helped make it happen. We can’t wait for our community to experience it all 🧡

[Carousel description: Photos from Team Depot’s day at the National Ability Center in Park City. The Home Depot Foundation work alongside NAC staff and participants on projects across the campus, including building and woodworking, landscaping and mulching, painting, installing fencing, assembling outdoor structures, and improving the playground. Volunteers wear bright orange Team Depot shirts throughout the photos as they use tools, carry materials, and work together. The carousel ends with a large group photo of volunteers, NAC staff, participants, and community members gathered in front of the NAC challenge course with their hands raised in celebration.]

08/11/2026

Meals cooked. Private rooms. Staff who already know how to adapt the activity. Fall Overnight Family Camp is designed so your whole family gets to do everything together: archery, climbing, cycling, paddle sports, time with our horses, and creative projects in between.

Not a drop-off camp. You come too!

September 17–20th 🏕️ Register for Fall Overnight Family Camp: https://bit.ly/4i2JQob

Scholarships are available.

[Carousel description: Photos from National Ability Center camps show families and participants spending time together through outdoor recreation, including paddle boarding, adaptive cycling, challenge course activities, canoeing, and water sports in the mountains of Park City.]

08/07/2026

This week, our Water Sports campers took over Jordanelle Reservoir, and they did not hold back. From climbing aboard the boat to carving wakes on the tube and kneeboard, everyone found their own way to ride. Our instructors were right there for the transfers, the coaching, and plenty of fist bumps in between.

Adaptive programming at the NAC is built around one idea: everyone belongs. The right equipment and trained staff make it happen.

[Image descriptions: A 14-photo carousel from Water Sports camp at Jordanelle Reservoir. Campers and NAC staff ride a motorboat, transfer on and off the dock, tube behind the boat, and kneeboard across the water on a sunny day with mountains in the background.]

08/06/2026

Adventure doesn’t stop where the pavement ends 🏕️

Our Adventure Trips take participants with disabilities beyond the trailhead and into some of the West’s most incredible landscapes. Participants enjoy rafting through red rock canyons to hiking, climbing, and multi-day mountain biking expeditions in the backcountry.

Every trip is fully supported so that participants can focus on the experience rather than the barriers; that kind of support is why we’re asking for your vote in the Defender Service Awards. A Land Rover Defender would comfortably carry participants and adaptive equipment to remote recreation areas across Utah, putting adventures like these within reach for even more people.

🗳️ Vote daily through August 14th: https://bit.ly/4fMesaT

Thank you for all your support!

[Image descriptions: Five photos from NAC Adventure Trips. Photo 1: Two smiling paddlers in life jackets share an inflatable tandem kayak on a calm river, one flashing a peace sign with a paddle raised overhead. Photo 2: A rider on an adaptive handcycle at a canyon rim overlook with rock spires and a natural arch in the distance. Photo 3: The NAC yurt campsite in the Uinta forest, with a stone fire ring and log benches in the foreground. Photo 4: Seen from above, a climber with a prosthetic leg ascends a rock wall on ropes, with a whitewater river and onlookers far below. Photo 5: Two riders on adaptive off-road handcycles side by side beneath towering canyon cliffs.]

08/03/2026

Disability Pride Month may be over, but disability advocacy doesn’t end on July 31st in Park City ♿

We’re celebrating an exciting step forward for our community. Through a partnership led by Visit Park City and the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, 30 local businesses recently earned Wheel the World Accessibility Verified designation.

What does that mean? Rather than making assumptions about accessibility, Wheel the World conducts on-site evaluations and documents detailed information about entrances, pathways, restrooms, seating, and more. That information is then published online, giving travelers with disabilities a trusted resource to explore before they visit. Instead of relying on Google Street View, outdated reviews, or guesswork, people can make informed decisions and plan with confidence, knowing that accessibility looks different for everyone.

At the NAC, we’ve spent more than 40 years working to remove barriers to recreation, education, and adventure. It’s inspiring to see that commitment growing throughout our community. Accessibility is not finished; it’s something we will continue working towards together.

💬 What’s one accessibility improvement you’d like to see in your community? Let us know in the comments!

[Carousel Description: Scenes from the Park City Chamber’s accessibility celebration at the National Ability Center — including a community panel, live music, mingling guests (and one very good dog), and businesses receiving their Accessibility Verified certificates on stage.]

08/01/2026

Utah Adaptive Group Ride photo dump ‼️

Good trails are even better with good company. Thanks to everyone who joined the July Utah Adaptive Organizations Group Ride at Woodward Park City with the National Ability Center, Wasatch Adaptive Sports, and Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports - Outdoor Recreation for All 💞

Our next FREE group ride is August 6 at Deer Valley! Adaptive mountain bikes are available to borrow, and staff will help get you set up before the ride.

Registration closes August 3. Tap “Register for Free Summer 2026 Group Mountain Bike Rides” in the NAC bio to reserve your spot. We hope to see you on the trails!