It has been a few months since we traveled to California to vacation in San Fransisco and Yosemite! We tried to post some pics via Social Media while we were there, but now want to document The Thoughtful Travelers take on how accessible the overall trip was. Here are some highlights, and then a photo gallery that captures the fun we had and beauty of Yosemite! It was like walking into a “post card”, and was truly awe inspiring.
Our overall itinerary was to fly into San Francisco (SFO) and stay in the area for two nights. Then drive to Santa Barbara to pick up Harold’s twin sister Izzy and stay two nights, and then drive to Yosemite for 5 nights!
Highlights and Take Aways:
1.) Accessible Van Rental: We generally like to have our freedom to explore while on vacation and so a van rental for us is a must. Remember when planning, make sure you are very specific in your needs (automatic or manual ramp, side or rear entry, proper tie downs, etc.). We have always preferred a drop off and pickup right at the airport. Be sure to know how many miles you are allotted per day, and what the per mile charge is above that.
2.) San Francisco Area: We did not plan a lot of time to be in the San Fran area, but considering the limited time we packed in a lot! Here are the 4 main highlights from our trip:
A.) The Botanical Gardens, which is located in Golden Gate Park, was definitively well worth the stop. From an accessibility stand point, the Botanical Gardens was wide open, with wide paved walking paths that were relatively flat, that made for an easy walking the beautiful grounds (see gallery pictures).
B.) Lands End Lookout. Lands End was accessible for us, with a manual wheelchair, but there were a few inclines that required Susan and Steve to both push Harold, and some of the paths were hard packed gravel/dust, that might pose issues for some power chairs. However, the views are simply magnificent, and we had a full view of The Golden Gate Bridge, which we were told that often there is fog and the visibility is not always clear. This location makes for a great stop, as there is adequate parking, accessible bathrooms, and a nice cafe for light lunch, snack and/or coffee which Steve and Susan tend to need every afternoon haha. They had milk for Harold too!!
C.) Sonoma Wine country. Since it was only 45 minutes or so north of San Fran, Susan and Steve could not resist heading north over the Golden Gate Bridge to wine country. We do not recommend doing this, but this one particular night we did not have accommodations planned. We were “winging” it and luckily found a hotel with affordable rates for a night. Before checking in, we found a wine tasting vineyard called Cline Family Cellars, and had a quick tasting of 3 different reds, and bought two bottles of their top selling Cab before they closed. At the owners recommendation, we headed downtown and found an amazing Mexican restaurant. Sonoma was the icing on the cake to a full day of San Francisco area attractions, and ended up being just enough of a taste to want to come back and spend more time eating and tasting great wine!
D.) Muir Woods National Monument Park: Muir Woods is a must see if you are in the San Francisco area. It’s a short 30-40 minute ride north of San Fran over the the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped on our way back from Sonoma as we were heading south towards Santa Barbara. When making reservations be sure to let them know you need accessible parking. The parking area was terrific for us, and the park as a whole was very accessible with long paved or wooden boardwalk like paths. See all the gallery pictures. They are self-explanatory and without a doubt Muir Woods was one of our most memorable stops on this trip. It is like being in an enchanted forest. Huge redwoods are just remarkable!
4.) Yosemite – Accommodations and Food: We choose to stay at Yosemite Half Dome Village, which has “tent like” accommodations. Ours was accessible, and also had a heater. For us, who spent a lot of time outdoors, it was certainly adequate, but definitely not for everyone. There are plenty of other hotel options including The Majestic, Yosemite Lodge, and more, however bookings fill up fast.
Heated accessible tents at Half Dome Village were adequate, economical, but probably not for everyone. We can certainly give you the pros and cons if you call us.Yosemite park has plenty of food options from the large cafeteria at the Half Dome village to quick pizza and snacks, a very nice deli, and a Mexican/Asian rice bowl option. There are higher end full service restaurants within some of the hotels as well. There is also a grocery store in the village.
5.) Yosemite – General Accessibility and Sites: The best part of Yosemite for us however, was the actual beauty and majesty of the park itself. On the surface, you might not think a park like Yosemite would be accessible, but we were pleasantly surprised at how easy getting around the park was, and at how accessible even the more remote locations were. For example, Glacier Point is a magnificent vantage point where many pictures can be taken. We decided to take advantage of a guided tour to Glacier Point. This was done on a tour bus that had an accessible lift, tie downs and space for 2 wheel chairs, and a bus driver who was ADA certified and took care of everything as far as loading and unloading Harold. In addition, the whole park is serviced with a free shuttle bus that makes frequent stops at all the major stopping points (eateries, attractions, etc…) within the park. All of the shuttle buses are accessible, and have ramps and then tie downs to secure a wheel chair.
There really is no better way to blog about Yosemite than with pictures. See our gallery below.
Additionally, if you have any questions about accessible travel to Yosemite or any destination, please see our Services section under Travel and contact us for more information on how we can help you have a fulfilling and enjoyable trip.
Our Yosemite & San Francisco trip photo gallery!! ENJOY
Artimino, a Tuscan small town gem & Michelangelo’s David