Wide Tires, Open Ground: Off-Road Wheelchairs Are Headed for the Parks of the American West

Wheelchairs built for rough terrain, rolling on fat, cushioned tires, are on their way to America's federal parklands in the West. The point is simple: a chair that keeps going where the pavement stops puts the region's great vistas within reach of visitors a standard chair would leave at the edge of the asphalt. For readers who judge any machine by how it meets the ground, the tire does the work here, with a broad, soft footprint built for dirt and gravel rather than smooth floors. Here in Colorado, where a good weekend is often measured by the view at the end of the drive, that is welcome engineering.

With reporting from The Drive.