Michigan’s State & National Parks are about to get a whole lot more accessible

On Monday, July 29, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II joined the National Park Service (NPS) to announce the first round of grant funding under the National Park Service Mobility Challenge Program, a partnership with the Biden-Harris Administration. The funding will support three innovative projects to improve access, visitor experience, and environmental conservation in Michigan’s state and national parks.

“Every Michigander should be able to enjoy the incredible natural resources we are blessed to steward,” Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II said in the press release. “These grants represent a key milestone in our efforts alongside the National Park Service to pioneer future mobility in our state and national parks. We will keep working hard to build on our historic investments in Michigan parks, improve our park experiences, grow our economy, and preserve our natural landscapes for decades to come.”

First-round grant recipients

Here’s a bit more about each grant recipient:

• ADASTEC received $250,000 to deploy an automated, electric full-size bus that will transport passengers around the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. ADASTEC, together with Vicinity Motor Corp and ARIBO, will study how the next generation of automated bus technology performs in an outdoor recreational setting. ADASTEC will demonstrate how automated, electric buses can enhance traffic safety and reduce congestion in areas with lots of visitors.
• Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy received $240,000 to install multi-modal chargers in NPS gateway communities to the Keweenaw National Historical Park (Hancock) and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Munising and Grand Marais), as well as in Marquette. The charging hubs will be deployed in partnership with FLO Charging, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), as well as local municipalities and utilities.
• The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received $10,000 to deploy off-road track wheelchairs at Muskallonge Lake State Park, near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The track chairs will help to improve access to outdoor recreation for persons with disabilities. The project is part of a larger statewide campaign through the DNR to provide off-road wheelchairs at Michigan State Parks.

About the National Park Service Mobility Challenge

The National Park Service Mobility Challenge is issued to the global mobility industry to identify and deploy advanced mobility and electrification technologies in and around Michigan’s state and national parks, improving safety, sustainability, and equitable access through new mobility technology.

This challenge builds on a pre-existing partnership between NPS and Michigan to improve access at National Parks using mobility technologies. Governor Whitmer first announced the partnership in 2022 between the National Park Service and multiple departments within the state of Michigan, including the Michigan Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, the Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Department of Labor and Economic Development (LEO), and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) with the goal of implementing safe, innovative technology to increase accessibility and equity in parks.

The NPMMC directly supports the goals and initiatives outlined in the MI Healthy Climate Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition the state toward economy-wide carbon neutrality. The challenge also ladders back to broader sustainability goals outlined in the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification’s Future Mobility Plan, which entails providing safer, greener, and more accessible transportation infrastructure for Michiganders.

​​​”The National Park Service is looking forward to the exciting innovations the Michigan Mobility Challenge will bring to the transportation needs of our visitors and gateway communities,” said Bert Frost, National Park Service Midwest Regional Director.

ADASTEC has a similar mission. According to Dr. Ali Peker, its Chief Executive Officer, “Our mission is to solve modern city mobility problems with automated public transportation … This project highlights our focus on providing clean, 24/7 available, accessible, sustainable transportation for all.”

Justine Johnson, Chief Mobility Officer for the State of Michigan, also weighed in. “I am incredibly excited about the progress we have made in advancing sustainable mobility within our national parks,” she said. “These new initiatives not only reflect Michigan’s innovative capabilities but also significantly contribute to our broader mobility ecosystem, propelling us toward a more interconnected and sustainable future.”

About the National Park Service Emerging Mobility Initiative

Since 2018, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center has worked with the National Park Service (NPS) to develop a strategy to help national parks adapt to and proactively address emerging mobility  trends, including electric vehicles and charging, micro-mobility, traveler information technologies, ride-hailing, and automated driving systems.

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center is supporting NPS in exploring emerging mobility projects with dozens of parks across the country. The U.S. DOT Volpe Center provides NPS with extensive technical assistance at all stages of the projects, including assessment, planning, deployment, and evaluation. Findings from these demonstration projects will support future efforts related to the safe integration of these new technologies.

Emerging mobility project opportunities include:

• Implementing electric vehicle charging stations in partnership with gateway communities
• Using technology to display enhanced roadway, transit, or parking information in parks, online, or through mobile apps
• Establishing designated pick-up/drop-off zones for ride-hailing
• Partnering with gateway communities and transportation providers to establish bike-share or scooter-share opportunities
• Testing low-speed, electric automated shuttles in park settings