News release by Indiana Department of Natural Resources:
Wheelchair users and guests with mobility disabilities can explore more-challenging trails at Potato Creek State Park, thanks to a new trackchair, which they can borrow from the park’s nature center.
The addition brings the number of trackchairs available for outdoor use at Indiana state park properties to 15. Chain O’Lakes, Charlestown, Fort Harrison, Mounds, O’Bannon Woods, Pokagon, and Spring Mill state parks and Salamonie Lake have one each. Indiana Dunes has four, and McCormick’s Creek has two. Potato Creek’s chair, manufactured by Action Trackchair, is joystick-operated and equipped with a seatbelt and arm and leg rests.
The chairs available across the state park system vary in design and appropriate trail use. Potential users should consider discussing those conditions with property personnel before visiting. Guests can also reserve a chair ahead of their visit. For contact information at the individual locations, visit stateparks.IN.gov or check the Indiana Recreation Guide at on.IN.gov/recguide.
The new chair at Potato Creek was made possible by a grant from Ford’s Bronco Wild Fund, an organization that focuses on accessibility, preservation, stewardship, and connecting people to the outdoors. The funds for these chairs and other projects come from a portion of the profits from every Bronco® model sold.
The grants were coordinated through the America’s State Parks Foundation, a national nonprofit arm of America’s State Parks, which supports and promotes state park systems and their leadership across the country. Indiana was one of 18 states awarded funds for these chairs.
Potato Creek State Park is at 25601 State Road 4, North Liberty, IN 46554. Learn more at on.IN.gov/potatocreeksp.