Casper Mountain’s Braille Trail Marks A Milestone Anniversary

Five decades ago the Casper Mountain Lions Club built Wyoming’s first trail designed for people with visual impairments. Since then, the Lee McCune Braille Trail on Casper Mountain has provided outdoor experiences connecting people with nature while serving as a lasting symbol of community compassion and innovative thinking.

To celebrate this milestone, Lions Club members invite everyone to join them on Casper Mountain for a free special outdoor event with presentations and Braille Trail guided tours on Saturday, July 19, 4-6:30 p.m.

The 50th anniversary celebration will begin at the Casper Mountain Trails Center with a special presentation and speakers 4-4:30.

A complimentary shuttle service will assist visitors from the Center to the Braille Trail for guided trail tours 4:30-6:30 highlighting the trail’s historical significance and recent improvements.

People will experience firsthand how the trail's design makes outdoor recreation accessible to all.

Open seasonally, the Lee McCune Braille Trail offers a short scenic hike with limited public parking off Strube Loop. People attending the July 19 celebration are asked to park at the newly-built Casper Mountain Trail Center (former site of the Nordic Center) on Casper Mountain.

The accessible Braille Trail is delineated with ropes and signage written in Braille and print.

More than just a path through the forest, it embodies the community's commitment to ensuring everyone can experience the beauty of Casper Mountain. While designed for those who are blind or visually impaired, the trail is open seasonally to everyone.

Built by the Casper Mountain Lions Club and the field science students of Casper in 1975, the trail stands as a testament to the vision of the late Ed Strube, whose dedication to accessibility and inclusion was instrumental in creating Wyoming's first trail for the blind.

Lions members will honor Strube’s enduring legacy during the 50th anniversary celebration.

Speakers on July 19 who will present a short history include Maria Katherman and Lion Bryon Lussier.

Katherman, an assistant with field science instructors Ed Strube and Dana Van Burgh, worked with Strube on the trail’s planning and design. Lussier, a longtime Casper Mountain Lion's Club member, was involved in the original Braille Trail construction.

The Casper Mountain Lions Club will station its members along the trail to provide information about the trail's history, highlight recent improvements such as new walking bridges, and answer questions about ongoing accessibility initiatives in the area.