If it wasn’t for a volunteer-run program determined to make Acadia National Park more accessible, much of the park’s iconic carriage roads would be unreachable to Blair Wing, who is an adaptive rides coordinator for a local nonprofit.
Wing, who uses a wheelchair, can enjoy the carriage roads because of MDI Wheelers, a Tremont-based nonprofit that grew out of a cycling group after three husbands — two who had strokes and one diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — developed mobility limitations. The group decided to find a way to keep riding together and have since offered dozens of people with disabilities a chance to ride Acadia National Park’s historic carriage roads.
“Being able to take this ride, I can see so much more of the park, the wildlife but also engage with other riders,” Wing said. “You feel like you’re part of everyone else in the riding community on the trails — you don’t feel like you’re sticking out because you’re doing some kind of special program — you’re actually just riding with everyone. You’re fluid with all the other riders and it’s just a great community experience.”
MDI Wheelers, which began in 2021, is meeting a growing need in Acadia. As the park’s visitation count continues to rise — more than 4 million visits were recorded last year — some of those visitors are people with different mobility needs. About 12 percent of adults in the United States live with some kind of mobility disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new program reflects a growing interest in cycling in general in Acadia, which has boomed since e-bikes have been allowed in the park. While some riders need e-bikes to access parts of the park they otherwise would not be able to reach without some form of assistance, the Wheelers program provides that same accessibility to people who cannot ride or pedal bikes on their own.
Although many of Acadia’s attractions are wheelchair-friendly, there are some places in the park that aren’t.
“I would not have been able to access where they went in my wheelchair,” Wing said, noting that the carriage road’s tightly packed gravel makes it slightly easier but is still difficult to navigate. “It just would have gotten really hard for the wheels.”
The nonprofit’s mission aligns with Acadia’s: making the park accessible to people with all mobility levels, volunteer Susan Edson said.
The nonprofit has three Dutch electric-assist tricycles, which retail for more than $8,500 and were bought second-hand from the Portland Wheelers, who provided a blueprint for the MDI group.
Each rider is fastened to a seat in front of their pilot, who is responsible for peddling the duo, and is flanked by two safety riders in front and behind the group, warning oncoming cyclists to slow down or move over. Before every ride, volunteers review a safety checklist to ensure each tricycle is in riding condition.
Many of the nonprofit’s riders are residents of Birch Bay Retirement Village, a residential community and memory care facility in Bar Harbor, though the wheelers also welcome younger riders with different disabilities, including cerebral palsy.
The nonprofit runs two rides per day each Thursday and Friday from June through September , departing from the Eagle Lake boat ramp. The rides are free and last between 30 minutes to an hour. The program averages 12 riders a week, Edson said.
MDI Wheelers are not the only way people with disabilities can enjoy the park. The park’s free shuttle service, the Island Explorer, is wheelchair accessible, as are some trails like Jesup and Hemlock paths, though they aren’t large enough for all wheelchairs. The park’s accessibility page provides visitors with specific information about popular park attractions.
The park also has a wheelchair-accessible horse-drawn carriage, offered through Acadia by Carriage, that departs from Wildwood Stables, off Park Loop Road.
Wing, who works for local nonprofit partner Friends of Acadia, said she knew of at least one local bike shop, Acadia Fat Tire E-Bike, that carries adaptable bicycles for people with disabilities.
As the nonprofit works to grow its ridership in the coming year, it’s also weighing themed rides centered around bird sightings or carriage road history, Wing said.
During a Thursday morning ride along the park’s bustling carriage roads, passing cyclists waved with glee at the group of wheelers.
“Go, wheelers, go!” one passerby shouted.