Universal Trail Assessment (UTAP) Beneficial Designs, Inc. developed the Universal Trail Assessment Process (UTAP) in the mid 1990s with funding from the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation at the National Institutes of Health. The goal was to create a system to assess trails for visitors of all abilities. UTAP is widely accepted as an objective and thorough methodology. UTAP is a land management tool rather than simply an accessibility tool. In this expanded role, the program provides a consistent way of looking at trails and gives land managers a common language by which they can communicate with the public and each other. The process reinforces the concepts of good trail design and has proven to be objective, accurate and reliable. UTAP clearly describes conditions on a trail by assessing criteria such as land surface, trail width, grade, cross slope, obstacles, and accessibility of parking, restrooms, picnic areas and signage. The Federal Highway Administration, the NYS Department of Health, and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation all endorse UTAP. There are currently fewer than a dozen UTAP certified coordinators in New York State, all of whom work for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and assess only state-managed lands. Thousands of acres of local and regional parks and hundreds of miles of recreational trails are not being assessed by any other comprehensive effort. Home