Some of the most dramatic landscapes in the American West sit behind miles of uneven rock, loose sand, and switchback grades that a standard wheelchair cannot cross. That gap is starting to narrow. The National Park Service now offers free all-terrain wheelchair loans at five Utah parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches.
The chair confirmed at Zion is the Extreme Motus, built by a Utah-based manufacturer and designed specifically for terrain that defeats conventional wheels.
A Free Loan, With Limits
The program is free and first-come, first-served, which means planning ahead matters more than you might expect.
At Zion, the chair is available at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center for single-day checkout. No reservations are accepted, and the chair must be returned before the visitor center closes. Inventory across all five parks is limited, so the NPS advises contacting each individual park before your trip to confirm current availability, eligible trails, and any other accessibility services on offer.
Built for Terrain That Eats Regular Wheels
The Extreme Motus looks less like a hospital wheelchair and more like something engineered for ground that has no interest in cooperating.
The chair runs on three oversized Wheeleez balloon tires built to roll over sand, gravel, rocks, grass, and snow. Its aluminum frame spans a 47-inch wheelbase, measures roughly 32 inches wide and 6 feet long in use, and folds to about 2.5 feet with two quick-release pins. Rear disc brakes and an adjustable handlebar support the person pushing, while a reclined bucket seat provides stability for the rider.
Weight specifications carry a small discrepancy worth noting. Zion lists the chair at 49 pounds; the manufacturer’s own specifications put it closer to 55 pounds. Confirm the exact figure with the park when planning your trip. Rider limits at Zion are 250 pounds and 6 feet tall. The manufacturer also states that the aluminum frame floats in shallow water, though that is a product claim rather than trail guidance from the NPS.
The Honest Constraint
The Extreme Motus expands access for people traveling with a capable companion, but it does not provide independent mobility across rough terrain.
The chair requires an assistant to push it. The rider cannot self-propel. On steep or rocky sections, pushing a loaded chair is physically demanding work, even with low-pressure tires and disc brakes in the mix. Zion also warns that some designated trails are impassable because of conditions or the chair’s dimensions, so trail selection requires advance research rather than optimism.
Why Borrowing Changes the Math
A free lending program makes a specialized chair accessible to visitors who could never justify buying one.
The Extreme Motus starts at $4,500 before shipping and optional equipment. For someone who already owns a daily-use wheelchair and needs an off-road option only for an occasional park visit, that price may be prohibitively expensive. A free lending program changes that calculation considerably. Powered alternatives exist for users who need independent mobility on rough terrain, but they carry their own trade-offs around battery life, transport, and cost , along with other camping essentials , that are worth researching separately before any trip.
Before You Book
A quick call to your destination park can prevent a wasted trip and open up trails you might have written off entirely.
Contact the specific park directly before planning a visit around this program. Confirm chair availability, eligible trails, and rider weight and height limits. Also verify checkout and return times, and whether a companion capable of managing the push will be traveling with you. This program represents a meaningful step toward broader trail access; it is not a complete solution, but for many visitors it may be exactly enough.
