Can I use a wheelchair in wilderness? Yes — here is how

Yes — a person with a physical mobility disability can go into national park wilderness, in a wheelchair if they use one. Federal law allows it, and more than 80 percent of Park Service land is managed as wilderness, so the question matters in almost every park.

What wilderness is

The Wilderness Act of 1964 set up a National Wilderness Preservation System "for the permanent good of the whole people". Only Congress can designate wilderness, and it is the strongest protection federal land can have. The system now covers more than 111 million acres, managed by four agencies: the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service. "The whole people" is the part the Park Service points to: it includes everybody, whatever their mobility.

What is allowed

Sit-skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park's wilderness. NPS / Quinn Brett.

Before you go

Trails differ from park to park — in width, surface, slope and whether they are open. Check the park's website for trail details and closures. If the details you need are not there, call or email the park and ask a ranger.

After you go

Tell the park how it went. Did you have enough information to feel prepared? Were there options that suited your mobility? Comment boxes at trailheads and visitor centres, or an email once you are home, reach the people who decide what to change — and parks do change what they offer in response.

Exploring Rocky Mountain National Park's wilderness by wheelchair. NPS / Quinn Brett.

In short

• Plan ahead: the park's website has trip options and conditions.
• Choose your wilderness: somewhere remote or somewhere close to the car — and leave no trace.
• Give feedback: suggestions help the next visitor, whatever their mobility.
• Your wheelchair is welcome.

Sources

Written from "I Didn't Know That!: Wilderness is for All", National Park Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.