Michigan’s state park system now has more track chairs—all-terrain electric-powered wheelchairs—than any other state.
That’s according to Michelle O’Kelly, fund developer for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. With the addition of track chairs at Warren Dunes State Park, Wilderness State Park, and North Higgins Lake State Park by the end of the year, the state’s inventory will reach 17 at 14 locations. That doesn’t count three other track chairs that are available at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Having the track chairs expands accessibility to outdoor recreation spots that otherwise would be difficult if not impossible to get to for those unable to negotiate rustic trails and pathways. Each one runs about $16,500, with much of the cost paid for by fundraising and donations.
“It’s about a sense of freedom, whether it’s the person actually using the wheelchair itself, or families, who say it removes a barrier and enables them to go out to a park or trail as a family,” O’Kelly says. “Those are the overarching common themes we hear from the users themselves.”
Maybury State Park in Northville has had one of the track chairs for the past five years. Park Supervisor Traci Sincock says a guided hike designed for the chair has been developed with assistance from park volunteers.
“The user signs up for a day and time, and they’re matched with a volunteer who knows the trail and the park,” Sincock says. “It becomes more than using the chair—it’s really a wonderful guided hike experience.”
Training is provided in how to operate the track chairs, which are manipulated with a joystick, Sincock explains. They seem to be most popular in the spring and fall, receiving between 12 and 15 appointments a month.
“A good number—over 50%—of our users have used it multiple times,” Sincock says. “And we have developed a relationship with an area recreation therapy organization, so we train some of the recreation therapists and they bring their clients out to use the chair.”
O’Kelly says she is frequently contacted by other states that are in the process of or hoping to launch similar programs with track chairs. She’s also participating in a panel at a state park conference in Georgia soon where she’ll be sharing information about what’s going on in Michigan, where recent state tourism promotional messages have also increasingly focused on inclusivity.
“They’re becoming more common,” O’Kelly says. “I think we’ll be seeing more and more of them.”