Michigan State Parks make sites more accessible.
Traveling with a wheelchair can be limiting. The good news is many places are learning they need to do better at accommodating people with disabilities. Kudos to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for adding track chairs to their state parks so people with disabilities can access all areas.
There are 11 state parks in Michigan that have track chairs that people with disabilities can borrow. People should make reservations in advance to ensure a chair is available. Track chairs are off-road, electronic chairs can easily handle trails, snow, sand, and even up to 8 inches of water, allowing users to explore areas of the parks that traditional wheelchairs might not reach. They are already available on a first-come, first-served basis at no cost.
Sleeping Bear National Park has track chairs for use, as well. Sleeping Bear Dunes has accessible trails, accessible campsites, and sand wheelchairs people can use. The sand wheelchairs are a first come, first serve usage, and make traveling with a wheelchair a lot easier. We have used the sand wheelchair, and it really made our visit so much more enjoyable.
Free Access Pass to the National Parks
If you have a permanent disability, you can receive the Access Pass for free. The Access Pass is a free lifetime pass that permits you to access over 2,000 recreational sites managed by five Federal Agencies. Access Passes are available online. You can also get them at SOME National Park sites. Please check to see if the park you are visiting can provide one on site, list of all federal recreation sites (PDF). Check the site to make sure you have all the documentation needed. The person does not need to be 100% disabled, it just needs to be a permanent disability. We got our pass at Sleeping Bear Dune Park and once they saw Reagan was in a wheelchair and we had an accessible van; they didn’t even look at our paperwork.
