You’ve heard of all-terrain vehicles. Soon, there will be an all-terrain wheelchair available at Wharton State Forest to help people of all mobility levels enjoy the great outdoors.
New Jersey is one of the first states in the country to make available to the public an electric wheelchair that can safely traverse rocky, sandy or snowy terrain. The $23,000 TrackMaster wheelchair can go up to 5.5 miles per hour, has an anti-tip feature, and can hold a charge for up to 10 miles. Sometime this spring, it will be available at Wharton State Forest, free of charge, for any visitor with a physical disability or who has difficulty walking long distances. A grant from the Ford Motor Company Bronco Wild Fund covered the cost.
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Wharton State Park in the Pinelands, the largest state park in New Jersey, has an inclusive focus. Last summer, a playground with rubber surfaces and accessible equipment opened there, and there are designated trails whose lengths work for the wheelchair’s battery life.
New Jersey State Park Service administrator Rebecca Fitzgerald says accessibility is a growing mission of the park service, and the state hopes to eventually add more wheelchairs to Wharton and other New Jersey parks.
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