Some of Missouri's state parks offer a way for those with mobility challenges to be able to enjoy the trails like everybody else. And a recent donation has expanded accessibility even further.
Every state parks region in Missouri now has two Action Trackchairs. They're wheelchairs, but instead of wheels, they have a track — like tank or a bulldozer.
Chris Fritsche, superintendent at both the Battle of Lexington and Confederate Memorial State Historic Sites, said they have wheelie bars in the front and the back to support going up and down hills
"We've seen some videos when we first got them of what people were driving them on and what they could accomplish, and it was pretty amazing," he said.
Track chairs are now at six state parks in Missouri after a recent donation by the Missouri Parks Association. The organization's Executive Director Kendra Varns Wallis said in a press release that the donation was made possible by an endowment from Ben and Bettie Breeding.
Fritsche said, for some, they make all the difference in the world.
"It's a sense of freedom to do something that everyone else can normally do," he said.
Fritsche recalled a woman and her husband who had multiple sclerosis coming to the park, and her husband was able to join her on the trail. She was able to hold her husband's hand while they hiked for the first time ever, he said.
Trackchairs are at Bryant Creek in Ava and Bennett Spring State Park in Lebanon, the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site in Laclede, Elephant Rocks State Park in Belleview, and Castlewood State Park in Ballwin.
If you'd like to use one, Fritsche recommended calling the park a couple of days in advance to make sure a chair is available. There are no fees to reserve them. The user must be accompanied by someone 18 or older.
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