Extreme Motus at Weeping Rock — A ranger tests out the Extreme Motus chair on the Weeping Rock Trail. (Photo: NPS Photo, Public domain)
Everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the beauty of America’s national parks. With that sentiment in mind, Zion National Park is making more of its incredible landscape accessible to visitors with disabilities and mobility challenges by introducing an all-terrain wheelchair available for public use.
The Utah park recently launched a lending program for the Extreme Motus, an adventure wheelchair designed to travel across terrain that can be difficult or impossible to navigate with a standard wheelchair. Zion is the first U.S. national park to own this type of accessibility equipment for public use.
The chair is especially useful at Zion, where rocky surfaces, steep grades, and sand can make many trails inaccessible to standard wheelchairs. Though the chair isn’t motorized and requires another person to push it, the Extreme Motus is designed to tackle rugged terrain due to its large wheels and extended frame.
The Extreme Motus arrived at Zion through the nonprofit 2Live4, which received donations to fund its purchase. Visitors can now borrow the chair for free from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center on a first-come, first-served basis. Both the rider and their assistant receive brief training before setting out.
The chair can be used on trails including the Pa’rus Trail, Riverside Walk, Lower Emerald Pools, and Weeping Rock, giving visitors the opportunity to experience parts of the park that may have previously been out of reach. Because the 6-foot-long chair doesn't fit aboard Zion's shuttle buses, borrowers are also given an accessibility pass that allows them to drive along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive during shuttle season.
The program is part of Zion’s larger efforts to make the park more accessible. And as the first national park to own this type of equipment for public use, Zion could provide an example for making more of America’s natural spaces available to everyone.
For more information about borrowing the chair, visit the National Park Service’s website.
Zion National Park is making more of its gorgeous landscapes accessible to all visitors.
Angels Landing Hiker — An intrepid hiker descends the Angels Landing route with near 1,000-foot drops on both sides. (Photo: NPS Photo / Caitlin Ceci, Public domain)
The park has introduced Extreme Motus, an all-terrain wheelchair for public use.
Extreme Motus on Lower Emerald Pools Trail — A park ranger trying out the Extreme Motus chair on a popular Zion trail. (Photo: NPS Photo, Public domain)
The wheelchair will open up the beauty of Zion to people with disabilities and mobility challenges who previously couldn't explore its many remarkable trails.
Extreme Motus on stairs — Extreme Motus can be taken on stairs with assistance. (Photo: NPS Photo, Public domain)
Hopefully, this inclusive program will increase the likelihood of other national parks following suit.
Temples and Towers — This popular view is found at the Human History Museum. (Photo: NPS Photo, Public domain)
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All images via National Park Service.
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