Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park plans to double the number of tracked wheelchairs available for rent in 2020
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park, located at the northwest tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, was established in 1970. For the last 50 years its abundant forests, miles of sand beaches, and bluffs which rise over 400 feet above Lake Michigan have been largely inaccessible to individuals with limited mobility.
In 2019, largely as a result of the efforts of a group known as the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, a tracked wheelchair was made available to park visitors who benefit from assistance with physical mobility. Over 70 individuals took advantage of the track chair, and the Friends organization has announced it has purchased a second track chair which will be available for the 2020 season beginning in May.
Besides enabling mobility challenged visitors to experience the park’s beauty, the tracked wheelchair’s unique design does not harm the trails or adjacent land over which it traverses.
Due to the current limited availability, the track chair must be booked in advance and is only rented to those who find it difficult to experience the designated trails without assistance, and is not available during the winter season.
Trackchair rentals are currently available at other vacation destinations in the USA, including Siesta Key Beach near Sarasota, FL, and the Jersey Shore beaches, including Atlantic City and Ocean City.
You can find beach wheelchair rentals throughout the USA at Rent It Today. Simply click here to get started.
trackchair photos courtesy of Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes
