Indiana state parks offer free, all-terrain wheelchairs to visitors
Indiana’s state parks are getting an accessibility facelift, with a fleet of all-terrain wheelchairs now available, free of charge, at 11 of the 24 state parks.
The wheelchairs, which were built to navigate unpaved terrain and open up trail accessibility beyond designated ADA trail routes, are available at nearby state parks like McCormick’s Creek and Spring Mill State Park, along with other beloved destinations statewide including the Indiana Dunes.
Ric Edwards, director of ADA compliance for the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said the wheelchairs are just one piece of the department’s ongoing efforts to ensure Indiana’s state parks are accessible to everyone.
“Your standard wheelchair is obviously designed for sidewalks and things like that, not off-roading,” Edwards said. “And so I was looking around trying to figure out how we could offer an ability for somebody with a mobility disability to be able to go out wherever you wanted to go and came up with these chairs.”
Like the trails themselves, the wheelchair models vary across parks and terrains. McCormick’s Creek, for example, sports both the three-wheeled, mountain-bike inspired GRIT Freedom Chair and the motorized Magic Mobility Extreme 4x4 Electric Wheelchair. The Indiana Dunes have a sandproof solution, too, with the track-equipped Action Track Chair.
Mobility accessibility is a near and dear cause to Edwards, who’s been working with the DNR’s ADA compliance for over 20 years, and himself has been quadriplegic since being involved in a car accident at age 15.
“When I had my accident, I thought that being outdoors was all over,” Edwards said. “And when I got this job, I had found that there were things that I can do that would still get me out into nature and be able to experience it.”
Edwards said Indiana’s state parks and outdoor recreation areas have made significant accessibility strides in recent years, from ongoing efforts to make trails more accessible to binoculars and braille amenities that address a wider range of accessibility concerns.
He’s particularly fond of the DNR’s 2024 Recreation Guide, which denotes through dotted lines which facilities and amenities are accessible at state parks and recreation areas.
He encourages anyone with a disability – mobility related or otherwise – to look into what resources Indiana’s various state parks and recreation areas offer.
“We’re putting some significant change into making these things accessible, and if you don’t get out there and try it, our property managers think no one in a wheelchair ever comes,” Edwards said. “And if you see something that’s inaccessible you don’t like, let me know. I’d much rather hear from them than have someone say, ‘Well, this is a rotten thing.’”
Below is a list of the wheelchairs offered at 11 state parks. Visitors interested in using the chairs are encouraged to call park property managers beforehand to ensure wheelchairs are reserved. Ric Edwards can be reached at 317-232-4145 and redwards@dnr.in.gov.
Chain O'Lakes State Park, Albion, IN
Chair Type: All Terrain Wheelchair Magic Mobility V6 | Park Headquarters: (260) 636-2654
Charlestown State Park, Charlestown, IN
Chair Type: Extreme X8 All-Terrain Wheelchair | Rose Island: (812) 256-5600
Fort Harrison State Park, Indianapolis, IN
Chair Type: Extreme 4x4 Mobility Chair | Visitor Center: (317) 591-0904
Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton, IN
Chair Type: AFIKIM chairs designated for trails: AFISCOOTER-S and AFISCOOTER-C. Beach chairs: Extreme X8 and Action Track Chair | Park Office: (219) 926-1952
McCormick’s Creek State Park, Spencer, IN
Chair Type: GRIT Freedom Chair and Magic Mobility Extreme 4x4 Electric Wheelchair | Nature Center: (812) 829-4344
Mounds State Park, Anderson, IN
Chair Type: Golden Patriot | Visitor's Center: (765) 649-8128
O’Bannon Woods State Park, Corydon, IN
Chair Type: Magic Mobility Extreme 4 Wheeled Drive Chair | Hickory Hollow Nature Center: (812) 738-8234
Pokagon State Park, Angola, IN
Chair Type: Extreme 4x4 Power Wheelchair | Nature Center: (260) 833-3506
Potato Creek State Park, North Liberty, IN
Chair Type: Action Track Chair AXIS Model | Nature Center: (574) 914-4347
Salamonie Lake, Andrews, IN
Chair Type: Trac About Inc. IRV2000 | Salamonie Interpretive Center: (260) 468-2127
Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, IN
Chair Type: All Terrain Viking 4 X 4 Mobility Power Wheelchair | Park office: (812) 849-3534
Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: All terrain wheelchairs available free at Indiana's state parks
