Parking Spurs at a US Forest Service Facility
Information reproduced from the USDA Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails.
Parking spurs at US Forest Service facilities for one or two vehicles, recreational vehicles (RVs), or trailers at individual picnic or camping units or at parking spaces for RV dump stations must comply with the requirements in section 3.1 of the US Forest Service Outdoor Accessibility Guidelines (FSORAG). US Forest Service parking lots, where multiple vehicles park at a common parking facility, are covered in the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).
Parking spurs have two components; driveways and parking areas. The driveway is primarily a vehicle travel way that functions as an extension of the recreation site roadway. It provides vehicular access and a transition between the recreation site road and a vehicle parking area. The vehicle parking area is the section of the parking spur where vehicles (cars, vans, recreational vehicles, trucks, trailers, and so forth) are parked. The graphic below is representative of a campsite with a parking spur.
Campsite Components
Each vehicle parking area that is adjacent to a camp living area should be at least 16 feet (4.88 meters) wide. The 16-foot (4.88-meter) width is the same as the standard width for an accessible parking space and access aisle for vans.
FSORAG has requirements for parking area or spur width, but not length. Length of parking area spurs depends on the terrain and the type of vehicles that are expected to use the parking area. Ordinary parking lots are normally designed with 18-20-foot long parking spaces to accommodate passenger vehicles, so parking areas should be at least 18-20 feet long. A large trailer with a towing vehicle could be up to 60 feet (18 meters) long and a bus-style recreational vehicle (RV) could be up to 45 feet (14 meters) long.
Because people use the parking spur to get to and from their vehicle and to get around the recreation site, ensure that the surface of the entire parking spur is firm and stable. Note that the surface does not have to be slip resistant, as is the case in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).
There are separate slope requirements for vehicle parking areas and driveways because of the different functions they perform. Do not allow the slope of the vehicle parking area to exceed 1:48 (2 percent) in any direction. However, when the surface is not paved or built with boards, slopes up to 1:33 (3 percent) in any direction are allowed when needed for proper drainage.
The running slope of a parking spur driveway may be up to 1:12 (8.33 percent) for 50 feet (15 meters). An exception for areas of steeper terrain permits the running slope to be up to 1:10 (10 percent) for 30 feet (9 meters). In alterations of existing campgrounds only, a second exception permits the running slope to be up to 1:10 (10 percent) for distances up to 50 feet (15 meters) if the first exception can’t be met because of a condition for an exception. This second exception does not apply to new construction. See the graphic below.
Campsite Parking Spur
The cross slope of a parking spur driveway must not exceed 1:33 (3 percent). However, the cross slope of driveways may be as steep as 1:20 (5 percent) if needed for proper drainage or to provide a transition from the campground road to the vehicle parking area. For example, if a back-in parking spur is adjacent to an interior campground road that has a running slope steeper than 1:20 (5 percent), the driveway may need a steeper cross slope to make the transition from the running slope of the road to the relatively level vehicle parking area. See the graphic below.
Transition from a Parking Spur Driveway to a Campground Road