Start of the Western Overlook Trail at Flight 93 National Memorial

Length: .6 mile
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat

Visitors to Flight 93 National Memorial should begin their exploration of the park at the Visitor Center and Flight 93 Museum, one of the best museums in the National Park system. From there, the next stop is the Memorial Plaza at the actual crash site in the field below. Visitors can drive or walk to the plaza. If walking, the quickest way to get there is via the Western Overlook Trail, which starts behind the Learning Center building at the Visitor Center Complex.

Before starting out on the Western Overlook Trail, you should know that this is not the intended way to walk to the Memorial Plaza because it comes out at the Wall of Names, the culmination of a visit to the Plaza, not the starting point. You should really arrive at the other end where wayside exhibits tell the story of Flight 93 and park Rangers can answer any questions you might have. The intended route begins on the Allée, a 1.1-mile path that starts at the back door of the Visitor Center. You should return from the Memorial Plaza on the Western Overlook Trail, thus forming a nice loop around the entire area.

Since the Visitor Center is on a hill above the United 93 crash site, it should come as no surprise that you must walk up- or downhill, depending on which end of the Western Overlook Trail you start from. The grade of the hill never exceeds 5%, which is within the bounds of being wheelchair accessible. The steeper parts are traversed with the help of switchbacks. If you can walk, you should have no problems. I saw older people who looked like they had one foot and four toes on the other foot in the grave, and they made the trip. I do suggest that wheelchair-bound visitors have help or have an electric wheelchair with good brakes.