Accessible High Desert Food Trail: Creating a More Informed Experience for Visitors
Central Oregon isn’t just a place you visit – it’s a place you experience. From its rich agricultural history to its thriving artisan food scene, our region offers a diverse array of flavors, stories, and culinary and agritourism opportunities. Whether you’re savoring a chef’s take on local ingredients or sipping a beverage crafted inspired by regional flavors, every bite and sip tells a story. At HDFFA, we believe everyone deserves the chance to enjoy these experiences. That’s why we’re proud to partner with Wheel the World, an organization dedicated to making travel more accessible for people with disabilities so every visitor can explore Central Oregon with confidence and knowledge.
As part of a larger regional and statewide effort, HDFFA is encouraging businesses on the High Desert Food Trail – a self-guided tour showcasing Central Oregon’s unique local food and agriculture – to participate in accessibility assessments conducted by the Wheel the World team. These businesses have opened their doors to learn how they can better serve visitors with accessibility needs. Each participating business will be featured on the Wheel the World website, offering prospective visitors clear, helpful information about what to expect when they visit.
The goal of this program is to give visitors the information they need to make informed choices, while also helping businesses understand and improve their accessibility. Each assessment results in a detailed listing on the Wheel the World website, highlighting what is currently available for visitors with disabilities and offering suggestions to business owners for improvement. For example, a restaurant may not be aware that its bathroom door opening inward can make it difficult for a wheelchair user to navigate; this information is shared for prospective visitors on the website, and provided as a suggestion for improvement for the business owner. Wheel the World acknowledges that not every business may be suitable for everyone, and larger challenges, like steep slopes or the need for infrastructure improvements, may not be possible to address, at least immediately. The goal isn’t perfection, but transparancy, so visitors can plan confidently and businesses can grow in their accessibility offerings.
For travelers with disabilities, exploring Wheel the World verified locations provides a chance to experience small-scale, local food and farms without the stress of overwhelming crowds or inaccessible spaces. Many stops along the region’s High Desert Food Trail offer thoughtful touches like flat walking paths, accessible parking, and staff happy to help however they can.
We are pleased to share that in 2025, ten businesses received an assessment and are listed on the Wheel the World directory. This includes:
- Seed to Table
- Tumalo Lavender
- Schilling’s Garden Market
- Rainshadow Organics
- Faith, Hope, and Charity
- Crescent Moon Ranch
- Bend Farmers Market
- Redmond Farmers Market
- Sisters Farmers Market
- CROP Farmers Market
Each listing includes detailed information such as bathroom availability and accessibility, parking lot features, path materials, slope grade, and more – along with photos to give visitors a clear picture of what to expect.
In the coming years, HDFFA will invite more businesses on the High Desert Food Trail to participate in accessibility assessments and be featured on the Wheel the World website. In 2026, the print brochure will be updated to include an indicator for businesses that have completed an assessment. If your business is interested in being on the High Desert Food Trail or participating in the Wheel the World assessment, please get in touch. By 2027, HDFFA aims to have 30 businesses on the High Desert Food Trail verified by Wheel the World to provide a more informed experience for all visitors and support culinary and agritourism businesses in understanding their visitors’ needs.
To see other businesses in Central Oregon and beyond listed as destination verified, check out the Wheel the World website and Central Oregon landing page here: https://wheeltheworld.com/accessible-travel/usa/oregon/central-oregon
This project is supported by the Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program grant [grant no. 2024-49400-43607] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
