Lake Bemidji State Park received their new all-terrain track chair last week, which will help give visitors with mobility disabilities the opportunity to explore the park’s trails.

Thanks to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Council on Disability, six Minnesota state parks were provided with all-terrain track chairs beginning this month to expand access at state parks and trails. Lake Bemidji State Park was one of those six parks to receive a new track chair.

Lake Bemidji State Park announced that the chair was now available for use on Monday, June 27, which was a gratifying experience for their first visitor to try it out.

The track chair has a variety of simple features that makes operating it easy, and park staff have also placed a complete guide to the state park trails inside the track chair’s pouch. They also say that operators could potentially go up to 9 miles, but they’re still exploring that range as they move forward.

The track chair is available for reservation. Visitors camping at the park for more than one day are also welcome to reserve the track chair if needed. Park staff would like to remind visitors that the track chair is reservable for people who are in need of assistance on trails.

More information on track chair reservations can be found on the Lake Bemidji State Park website.

By — Emma Hudziak