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Zion National Park began renting all-terrain wheelchairs in August, and Arches National Park also lists them as available. The unpowered chairs are offered first-come, first-served and require identification, proof of insurance and a ranger-led training session; it is unclear how many are available or whether more parks will add them.
Zion and Arches national parks in Utah are offering rentals of Extreme Motus all-terrain wheelchairs, giving some visitors with mobility disabilities another way to travel on rougher park terrain. The rentals are limited and subject to requirements, and the chairs are unpowered, so access may depend on a companion or aide being able to push them.
Zion’s rental program began in August, according to a post on the park’s official Instagram account. Arches’ website also listed the chairs as available at the time of The Drive’s report. Both parks are in Utah; Arches is near Moab. The available information does not specify how many chairs either park has.
The rentals are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Users must provide identification for themselves or an assistant, show proof of insurance and complete a brief training session with a park ranger. The report does not detail what insurance coverage is required or whether visitors can reserve a chair in advance.
Extreme Motus, a Utah-based manufacturer, describes the chairs as designed for outdoor terrain. The model described has a 47-inch wheelbase and a total length of 72 inches; it can fold to 30 inches after two quick-release pins are removed. It weighs 55 pounds without a user. The company says the chair can float in shallow water, but that is a manufacturer claim, not a statement that it is suitable for every water crossing. The company lists versions rated for users up to 250 pounds.
Access Depends on More Than Terrain
For visitors who use wheelchairs, an uneven trail can be a barrier even when a park is open to the public. Rentals of purpose-built chairs offer an option for some people who want to visit outdoor areas where conventional mobility equipment may not work well. They may also help visitors who need this type of chair only for a particular trip and cannot readily justify buying one.
But the rental program does not mean every visitor can independently use the equipment or reach every destination. The chairs are unpowered and lack push rims, according to The Drive’s description. A companion or aide will likely need to push, and handling a 55-pound chair plus its occupant on rugged trails may require significant physical effort. Availability, terrain, the visitor’s needs and the assistance at hand will all affect whether the option works.
Extreme Motus lists a retail price of $4,500 per chair. That price illustrates why access through a park rental could matter for people who need an all-terrain model only occasionally, though the report does not say how the parks fund or maintain their units.
all-terrain wheelchair for outdoor use
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Park Programs and Other Options
The National Park Service is trying to address mobility barriers at some parks through all-terrain wheelchair access, but the report identifies only Zion and Arches as places where these rentals were available at the time. It does not establish that the service is a system-wide program or that all national parks plan to offer the chairs.
There are other approaches to outdoor mobility. The report notes that Michigan began offering power chairs with tracks at some state parks in 2021. It also refers to a nonprofit that has used tracked chairs for off-road outings in New York. Those examples are separate programs and do not indicate that the Utah national parks provide powered or tracked equipment.
The options have different trade-offs. Extreme Motus chairs are unpowered, while tracked power chairs use a different design and may require different access arrangements. The central development is the availability of rentals at two Utah national parks, not a single solution that removes all barriers to outdoor recreation.
“The chair is light enough to float in “shallow water.””
— Extreme Motus
Availability and Access Conditions
The report does not give the number of chairs at either park, their operating hours, seasonal availability or whether visitors can check stock before arriving. It also does not explain what kinds of insurance proof are accepted, whether an assistant must meet specific qualifications, or how the parks assess whether a chair is suitable for a particular route.
It is also unclear whether the program will expand to other national parks. The source identifies current availability at Zion and Arches but provides no announcement of a broader rollout. The manufacturer’s statements about weight limits and shallow-water flotation should not be treated as a guarantee that a chair will meet every user’s needs or be appropriate for every trail condition.
Check With Parks Before Visiting
Visitors considering a rental should contact Zion or Arches directly before traveling to confirm current availability, the insurance documents accepted, training arrangements and any route-specific restrictions. Because rentals are first-come, first-served, arriving at the park may not guarantee a chair.
No expansion schedule is stated in the source material. Further updates would need to come from the parks or the National Park Service, including any changes to rental rules, inventory or participation by additional parks.
Key Questions
Which national parks offer the rentals?
The report says all-terrain wheelchair rentals began at Zion National Park in August and were also listed at Arches National Park in Utah at the time of publication.
Can visitors reserve a chair?
The report says rentals are first-come, first-served. It does not say whether either park offers reservations or a way to check availability in advance.
What are the rental requirements?
The stated requirements are identification for the user or an assistant, proof of insurance and a brief training session with a park ranger. The report does not specify the accepted insurance documents.
Can the wheelchair move without someone pushing it?
The described Extreme Motus chairs are unpowered and do not have push rims. The report says users will likely need a companion or aide to push them, particularly on rough trails.
Will more national parks offer the chairs?
The source does not report a wider rollout or expansion timetable. It identifies rentals at Zion and Arches only.
Source: rss
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