Building on the Department of Environmental Protection’s commitment to making the outdoors more accessible to all, New Jersey State Parks today announced the deployment of five new all-terrain wheelchairs at state parks and historic sites across the state.
The wheelchairs are now available at Island Beach State Park in Ocean County, Liberty State Park in Hudson County, Waterloo Village Historic Site in Warren County, Round Valley Recreation Area in Hunterdon County and Parvin State Park in Salem County.
“Everyone deserves an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of our state parks, forests and historic sites,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Ed Potosnak. “These specially designed all-terrain wheelchairs will open opportunities for those with mobility challenges to experience terrain that they otherwise would not have a chance to enjoy. The addition of these wheelchairs delivers on the Sherrill administration’s commitment to enhancing access to our state park system and open spaces, which in turn improves health outcomes and quality of life for New Jersey residents.”
The all-terrain wheelchairs are designed to navigate trails and other natural surfaces that can be difficult to access with standard wheelchairs, providing additional opportunities for people with mobility challenges to enjoy New Jersey’s state parks and forests. Watch a video to see the wheelchairs in action.
The chairs selected for use are manufactured by Extreme Motus. They are nonmotorized and must be pushed by a companion and cannot be operated independently by the person seated in the chair.
“The outdoors should be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, and these all-terrain wheelchairs are just one part of a much broader effort to improve accessibility throughout New Jersey State Parks,” said John Cecil, Assistant Commissioner for State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites. “Our accessibility work to date includes installing accessible canoe and kayak launches, conducting trail accessibility assessments, installing beach mats and providing beach wheelchairs at swimming areas, as well as adding inclusive playgrounds.”
Funding for the five wheelchairs was made possible through a $24,550 grant awarded by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation through its 2025 Direct Effect Second Cycle Quality of Life Grants program.
“We thank the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation for their generous support which is allowing us to put these five all-terrain wheelchairs directly into the hands of park visitors who directly benefit from them,” said Rebecca Fitzgerald, Administrator for New Jersey State Parks. “These new all-terrain wheelchairs give visitors another option and help open the door to experiences that may otherwise be difficult to access.”
Advanced reservations for the wheelchairs are required. To make a reservation, contact the following state park offices:
- Island Beach State Park, Ocean County: 732-793-0506
- Liberty State Park, Hudson County: 201-915-3400, Option 4
- Parvin State Park, Salem County: 856-358-8616
- Round Valley Recreation Area, Hunterdon County: 908-236-6355
- Waterloo Village Historic Site, Warren County: 973-347-1835
New Jersey State Parks also offers a reservable motorized wheelchair, known as a Track Chair, at Wharton State Forest. Advanced reservations for the Track Chair are required. To reserve the Track Chair, call the Wharton State Forest Batsto Office at 609-561-0024. Only one reservation is accepted per day. Watch a video about the Track Chair at Wharton State Forest.
Other Accessibility Improvements
The addition of the new all-terrain wheelchairs builds on extensive work by New Jersey State Parks to improve accessibility across the state’s vast network of trails.
Since 2025, New Jersey State Parks has completed accessibility assessments of more than 100 miles of trails through a grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program. The assessments collect detailed information about trail conditions, including slope, cross slope, surface type, width, length and trailhead facilities. Using this information, New Jersey State Parks is identifying trails and trailheads that meet Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards and USDA Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines, identifying potential improvements to increase accessibility and developing informative trail maps to help visitors determine whether individual trails meet their needs. Additional trail accessibility assessments are planned to occur in 2027.
Updated accessibility trail maps are currently available for Allaire State Park, Cheesequake State Park and Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Monmouth County and the Forest Resource Education Center in Ocean County. The information also is available through the web application Trail Tracker, New Jersey State Parks’ interactive trail map of state parks, forests and historic sites. As assessments continue, additional updated trail maps and data will be added.
Recently, DEP unveiled improvements to the Sensory Awareness Trail at the Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson Township, Ocean County. The accessible, quarter-mile trail is designed to encourage visitors of all abilities to use multiple senses while exploring the forest and other habitats along the out-and-back trail. For visitors with visual impairments, an upgraded guide rope allows for navigation with wooden markers along the rope indicating interpretive exhibits. Across the trail, a ball on the rope signals an exhibit on the right, while a block signals one on the left. Benches are placed at regular intervals for rest stops, and an improved shortcut back to the beginning of the trail avoids a slope down to the Toms River.
To learn more about New Jersey’s State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites, visit stateparks.nj.gov.
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