Michigan State Parks Implement New Tools to Make the Outdoors More Accessible to the Disabled Community

The outdoors are for everybody. And Michigan’s state parks are leading the charge to make nature more accessible for people with disabilities. Michigan now leads the country in accessibility to track chairs in state parks. Track chairs are a rugged version of a standard wheel chair, the biggest difference are the tank like tracks that are used to go over rocks, tree roots, and other obstacles. With the help of hundreds of donations and several friends of the parks groups, Michigan’s state parks now have 14 track chairs located at 11 state parks. The only state park in the Upper Peninsula , currently with a track chair from the program, is Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Partaking in the great outdoors has many health benefits, and access to forests, trails, and outdoor recreation has always been a challenge within the disabled community. Programs like this go a long way to help create more equity and enjoyment for residents and visitors to Michigan incredible shorelines and vast forests. Learn more about where you can access a track chair, or make a donation to the program on Michigan.gov/dnr.