Finding accessibility information for national parks

The National Park Service (NPS) manages places that range from paved memorial grounds to backcountry, so one national rule cannot tell you what a given visit will involve. The useful question is where to find park-specific answers and how to ask for what you need. This page covers the NPS accessibility pages, the policy on mobility devices, how to contact a park, and the Access Pass.

Start with the park's own page

NPS says each park has its own accessibility section on its website, with details about planning a trip with accessibility needs in mind. It also says each park is responsible for that information, such as whether wheelchairs are available to borrow and what accessible camping options exist. The NPS "Plan Your Visit" accessibility page has a map with dots for every national park that has accessibility information online, and you pick a park there to reach its page.

Beyond the park pages, NPS runs central pages on specific needs. These include mobility devices, deaf and hearing loss, blind and low vision, service animals, and intellectual disabilities. Park pages vary in depth, and coverage can lag behind real conditions, so treat what you read as a starting point and confirm anything that decides your trip.

Contacting a park before you go

NPS says that if you or someone you travel with needs assistance related to a disability, or has questions about how a park can provide reasonable modifications, you should contact the park ahead of time. Its examples of reasonable accommodations include requesting sign language interpreters, reserving accessible campsites, and identifying accessible transportation options. The map links to contact information on each park's website, and NPS points to the federal Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) for contacting a park by relay.

Questions worth asking depend on the person. Someone using a wheelchair may ask about surfaces and loan equipment; someone with low vision may ask about tactile information. For trail terms, see what "accessible trail" means, which explains grade and surface, and outdoors with low vision, blindness, deafness or hearing loss for sensory planning.

Mobility devices in parks

NPS states that devices meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act definition of a wheelchair are allowed anywhere foot travel is allowed, including Wilderness. Other power-driven mobility devices, such as golf carts, are a separate category. NPS also lists parks that lend devices, such as beach wheelchairs and all-terrain wheelchairs, for beaches and trails. That list sits on the NPS mobility devices page and was updated in October 2026. Loan programs belong to individual parks, so check the park's own page for availability and booking. Our page on adaptive hiking covers what these devices mean on trails.

The Access Pass

The Access Pass is part of the America the Beautiful pass series. NPS describes it as free for US citizens or residents with permanent disabilities, and the NPS accessibility page calls it a free lifetime pass. It provides benefits at federal lands managed by six agencies, including free entrance to NPS parks that charge an entrance fee. The US Forest Service describes the same pass as covering entrance fees at more than 2,000 sites, including national forests and grasslands.

Eligibility covers people of any age medically determined to have a permanent disability that severely limits one or more major life activities. It does not have to be a 100 percent disability. You need a valid photo ID, plus one of the following: a signed letter from a licensed physician stating that the disability is permanent, that it severely limits one or more aspects of daily life, and the nature of those limitations; a document from a federal agency such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Social Security Administration stating entitlement to disability benefits; or a document from a state agency such as Vocational Rehabilitation attesting to benefit eligibility.

NPS says you can pick up a physical pass in person at over 1,000 federal recreation sites, which it recommends. You can also order one by mail through the USGS online store, which may take up to three weeks, or get a digital pass through Recreation.gov that can be saved to a phone and used immediately. Pass rules can change, so check the NPS page before applying. Passes are only part of planning; the trip-planning checklist covers the rest, and accessible camping covers campsites.

If you meet a barrier

NPS notes that the Architectural Barriers Act requires access to facilities designed, built, altered or leased with federal funds, and that the Access Board enforces it. The NPS page links to the Access Board's pages on the standards and on filing an ABA complaint if you encounter a problem in a park.

The short version

For a national park, begin with that park's accessibility page, then contact the park about anything that matters to your trip. The Access Pass can cut entrance costs for people with permanent disabilities, with specific documentation required. Details differ park to park, so confirm before you travel.