Friends of Sleeping Bear debuts track chair program

From staff reports

Nature enthusiasts who live with disabilities are often limited in their ability to hike more rustic trails in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes (official nonprofit partner of the National Lakeshore) wishes to provide an opportunity for more visitors to experience the Park’s natural beauty through the use of a personal mobility device. 

In late 2018, the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes acquired an ActionTrack Chair, an adult-sized motorized chair that features leg and side bolsters, a seat belt, and a chest harness, all of which help the rider feel more secure. The Friends debuted the chair in May for use on the Bay View Trail, providing riders to otherwise unattainable access to stunning views of Lake Michigan, pastoral historic farm lands, forest trails, and meadows. 

“The Track Chair Program helps people who may otherwise not be able to have a trail experience in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, to have such an experience,” said Jeanne Esch, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes​accessibility committee member​​. “It is rewarding to be able to provide such an opportunity.”

Operated with a joystick, the chair has a second button that allows the seat of the chair to tilt forward and backward. This helps the rider adjust the chair as trail’s terrain changes, keeping the rider more comfortable and minimizing the feeling of falling backward or forward as they ascend or descend hills. The chair can hold up to 350 pounds, including medical supplies​. 

Currently, the Track Chair is only able to be used on the Bay View Trail, which can be accessed from the Kelderhouse Farm on Port Oneida Road about three miles north of Glen Arbor. ​Volunteers accompany each track chair guest to assist them with the chair. The chair must be reserved at least 3 days in advance.​​Click here for online reservation information: FriendsOfSleepingBear.org/track-chair-reservation. There is no cost to use the Track Chair, but a National Park Pass is required and may be obtained at the Visitors’ Center in Empire, the Dune Climb, Pierce Stocking Drive, D.H. Day, or Platte River Campgrounds.

For more information or to make a donation to help support this initiative, visit the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes website, FriendsOfSleepingBear.org.