Volunteers pedal people with disabilities along Acadia’s carriage roads

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2026

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 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. 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. 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. The park also has a wheelchair-accessible horse-drawn carriage.