Should State & National Parks Provide All-Terrain Wheelchairs?

The case for all-terrain chairs in parks

The debate has often skirted around the fringes of park management discussions: should our state and national parks offer all-terrain wheelchairs to visitors? For me, the answer reverberates with a profound yes — echoing across the canyons and up to the tallest peaks protected within these spaces.

I’ve spent years walking trails with rangers and park managers, and the conversation about inclusivity comes up more than you’d think. When I bring up adding an Extreme Motus all-terrain wheelchair to their visitor services, the answer often lands as a polite but firm:

“We’re not required to do that.”

That’s technically correct. The Americans with Disabilities Act covers paved paths and built facilities, but it doesn’t require parks to provide adaptive equipment for trails. Yet the parks that choose to keep an all-terrain chair on hand consistently report it as one of their best-used additions — booked solid every weekend in season, with a waiting list of repeat visitors.

Why this matters: the experience gap

Picture an alpine lake reflecting a sunset, or the rush of a waterfall after a half-mile of forest trail. These moments shouldn’t be exclusive to people with two working legs. Access to our natural treasures isn’t just about traversing a trail — it’s about the transformative effect of being there, in person, with the people you love.

America’s most remarkable landscapes aren’t lined with sidewalks — they sprawl out in trails, rugged and raw. Adapting them doesn’t mean paving them. It means parking a single chair at the visitor center and letting people roll out and explore.

What people with mobility challenges are actually missing

For wheelchair users and people with limited mobility, the great outdoors can feel like a place you watch other people experience. Standard wheelchairs and most mobility aids stop where the asphalt ends. Soft sand, gravel, dirt, snow, mud, and even modest inclines turn into hard barriers — not because the visitor isn’t capable, but because their equipment isn’t.

What a park gets back when it provides one

Inclusivity isn’t a word, it’s an action. When a park provides specialized accessibility equipment like an all-terrain wheelchair, it does more than serve the rider. It bridges a gap for the entire family:

• A parent doesn’t have to sit in the van while everyone else hikes to the waterfall.
• A grandkid doesn’t have to whisper “I wish you could see this” back at the car.
• A visitor with a one-time mobility issue (post-surgery, late pregnancy, sprained ankle) can still participate.

The roar of the waterfall stops being a second-hand story and becomes a collective gasp of awe. That’s worth the cost of one chair.

Counterarguments — and our answers

The objections we hear from park managers usually fall into a few buckets. Each has a workable answer:

• “Cost.” A capable manual all-terrain chair runs $4,500–$8,000. Most parks find a corporate sponsor, nonprofit partner, or grant that covers it within a season. Some run a small donation tin at the front desk and recoup it the same way.
• “Liability.” A single-page waiver, the same one used for kayak and bike rentals, handles this. Hosts who lend the chair under a standard rental form have not reported issues.
• “Trail damage.” Soft balloon tires actually leave a smaller footprint than hiking boots. The chairs roll across the same trails everyone else walks.
• “Who will manage it?” Visitor services already manages bike rentals, snowshoe loans, and binoculars at most parks. Adding one chair to the rotation is a small lift.
• “Demand isn’t there.” Until you offer it, demand is invisible. Every park that has tried this has had the chair booked solid by the second month.

Parks that have already done it well

This isn’t theory — there are parks already running model programs:

• Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (Wales) — free Motus hire across a network of cafés and activity providers. 371 hires in 2023.
• Alaska Zoo (Anchorage) — $25 first-come-first-served rental, winterized for snow and ice.
• Multiple US state parks have rolled out trial programs through partners like Outside magazine’s Free All-Terrain Wheelchairs in Parks initiative.

The visitor feedback bursts with stories of firsts: families adventuring together, individuals experiencing self-reliance amid nature’s grandeur. These aren’t edge cases — they’re the standard outcome.

A personal moment at Delicate Arch

Let me share something I haven’t been able to shake. Standing at the foot of Utah’s Delicate Arch with my friend Sam, I remember his easy chuckle as we watched the stone giant salute the sky. But it was his mother’s tears that have stayed with me.

For thirty-six years she had sat with Sam in the van while the rest of the family went on adventures. The Motus made it possible for the whole family to stand under that arch together for the first time. That isn’t a marketing story — that’s the entire reason this product exists, and the entire reason parks should be part of the answer.

Frequently asked questions

Are state and national parks legally required to provide all-terrain wheelchairs?
No. The ADA covers built facilities and paved paths but doesn’t require adaptive equipment for trails. Most parks that provide them do so voluntarily, and almost always report it as one of their best-received programs.

How much does it cost a park to add an all-terrain wheelchair?
A capable manual chair runs $4,500–$8,000. Many parks fund the first chair through a corporate sponsor, foundation grant, or local nonprofit partnership rather than the operating budget.

How are these chairs managed at the visitor center?
The same way bike, snowshoe, or binocular rentals are: a short waiver, a deposit (usually a driver’s license held during use), and a time limit. The Alaska Zoo and Pembrokeshire Coast both run successful walk-up models.

Do all-terrain wheelchairs damage trails?
No. Soft balloon tires distribute weight more gently than hiking boots and roll across the same trails everyone else uses.

How can I encourage my local park to add one?
Ask the park’s superintendent or visitor services manager directly. Cite the working model programs (Pembrokeshire, Alaska Zoo). Offer to help connect them with a chair manufacturer or a sponsoring nonprofit. Your voice matters more than you think — most park leaders haven’t been asked.

Where can I rent one if my park doesn’t have one yet?
We have a growing rental network. Get in touch and we’ll point you to the closest option, or to chairs available through Outside’s national parks program.