'Soft launch' for Trackchairs on Colorado Springs trails

Colorado Springs' parks department has launched a program aimed at getting people with disabilities on trails previously out of reach.

They can now roam on a Trackchair, perched atop tank-like conveyor wheels alongside friends, family and knowledgeable staff or volunteers. The city last fall announced acquiring two vehicles with funding through Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Outdoor Equality Grant program and the Colorado Springs Office of Accessibility.

Trackchairs have been reserved at Staunton State Park since 2017 as part of an initiative that has inspired land managers across Colorado. El Paso County and Cheyenne Mountain State Park run programs using transports called Terrain Hoppers.

The city is calling its program a "soft launch."

Reserved, guided tours will run from 8 a.m.-noon the third Wednesdays of July, August and September — July 17 at Blodgett Open Space, Aug. 21 at Red Rock Canyon Open Space and Sept. 18 back at Blodgett.

The parks department "is in the early phases of the TrackChair program and expects increased availability in the 2025 season," reads the city webpage where reservations are managed. "Due to limited availability, we ask that each participant reserve only one time slot to allow others the opportunity to participate."

The county's Trailability Program runs out of Bear Creek and Fountain Creek nature centers, with online registration open for guided trips through October. Cheyenne Mountain State Park reserves its Terrain Hoppers every Friday and Saturday through Oct. 1.

Those program websites are linked at the city webpage: coloradosprings.gov/trackchair. The webpage includes an email for people to join a waiting list for future trips.