Rollout of all-terrain wheelchairs broadens access to state parks

101423.ParksTrackChair.jpg — Ro Morin points out something to his wife Jamie Morin as they traversed along a trail at Blue Mounds State Park outside of Luverne, Minn., on Oct. 14, 2023. Ro used a Trackchair provided by the park on the couple's 44th wedding anniversary.

By Hannah Yang / MPR News

November 03, 2023 at 12:19 PM

ST. PAUL — In October, Ro and Jamie Morin, of Mountain Lake, celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary at Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne. The autumnal backdrop set the scene for their adventure. Avid hunters, they love the outdoors.

But multiple surgeries on his ankles and knees left Ro in a lot of pain and unable to walk for long distances.

“The last five years it’s gotten to where I can’t get around very good,” Ro said. “I say, for me to walk from here to that rock over there, it kills me by the time I get back.”

Then, Jamie made her discovery.

“I was really pleasantly surprised when I was looking at the website for the State Park and saw they had this chair,” Jamie said. “So, I immediately called and reserved it, which is cool. It’s free for people with disabilities.”

Instead of motor-driven wheels, the Trackchair sports caterpillar tracks designed for cross-country travel. The DNR introduced the all-terrain wheelchairs at five state parks last year. In August, they expanded the program to eight more parks.

Blue Mounds staff said their chair has been booked two to three days per week. Ro said learning how to use the chair just took a few minutes.

“I got a good mechanical mind,” Ro said while demonstrating the controls on the wheelchair. “Here’s the button. Back and forward. And then, you turn. They got me strapped in. They’re scared that I might fall out.”

With the Trackchair, Ro’s able to navigate Blue Mounds’ rocky terrain and climb steep inclines. It’s designed to plow through mud, snow and sand. On this trip Ro enjoys the landscape with Jamie hiking by his side.

He’s only got one complaint.

“They don’t go very fast,” he said. “Well, I gotta have something that goes. I’ll get by.”

Off in the distance, the couple hears pheasant calls. The wind rustles the dry autumn leaves and ripples the prairie grass. Heading down the trail, they stop to examine some deer prints in the mud. As they move, the adaptive chair leaves its own distinctive tracks on the trail.

Accessibility in nature

About 8% of Minnesota adults have a mobile disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without the proper infrastructure, many are unable to have access to the state parks let alone the trails.

Blue Mounds State Park manager Chris Ingebretsen says that during his long career with the DNR, accessibility infrastructure has improved in the state parks. But he said there is always tension between how to help people get out in nature while preserving the experience of being out in the wilds.

“There’s a balancing act in finding the best solutions while protecting the reason why people are here in the first place,” he added.

The design of the Trackchair originated in Marshall, about 65 miles from Blue Mounds State Park. Action Manufacturing, a small family-owned business, creates the all-terrain Trackchair the DNR now uses at the state parks.

The adaptive track chair is very personal for founder Tim Swenson — a 2008 accident left his son Jeff paralyzed. The Swenson family loves the outdoors, and wanted to find a way to have Jeff enjoy nature again.

“I decided to put some parts together,” Swenson said. “Because we were in the snowmobile business, we know about tracks. So, I put some parts together with a used electric wheelchair. I knew people would want to be outdoors, and that was a fun project, and it was challenging.”

Now these chairs have made their way around the world. Veterans, farmers and others in the disability community use the all-terrain Trackchair to navigate the outdoors.

Owner Jim Swenson, who is Tim’s son, said Action Manufacturing added 12,000 square feet of building space to expand their Trackchair operation. The company takes custom orders to help accommodate individual requests.

“We have a chair in Cambridge where the man has to lay down on the chair and drive it,” Jim said. “We did it. We got it done.”

Swenson says the company supports plans to expand Trackchair availability to even more Minnesota state parks.

Back on track

Out on the trail, the Morins exchanged greetings with passing runners.

‘‘Love the tracks!” one of them called. “That’s awesome!”

For Ro, being outside helps his mental health immensely. He said not everyone and not every place has always been accommodating of people with disabilities.

“People walk in front of you and stand in front of me, and I tried to be courteous when I was in a wheelchair to try not to cut off people or bump into people,” he said. “It can be very debilitating if you can’t get around.”

At one point, charge on the chair battery gets low. Jamie and Ro head back to the charging station near the park entrance.

It’s been a successful excursion and they’re hoping to get back out onto the trails again soon.

“It’s something new,” Ro said. “We’re gonna start going to more of them, since more of them offer something like this to make it easier to get around.”

“And retirement’s only like 14 and a half months,” Jamie adds. “So then, we’ll hit some more.”