Vacation Itinerary: Fill & Download for Free

I have now been to 42 national parks in the US, and many parks in other countries over the years. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to watch the Ken Burns series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” for a great overview.Which parks to visit is a very tough question to answer because it depends on season, how much time and budget you have, what kind of park experience and accommodations you are looking for, and where you are arriving from. Here are a few recommended itineraries for 6–10 day driving trips that include California (and nearby) national parks and some commentary. Note that this list is biased by my personal preference for “eye candy.” My office walls are covered with NP photos I have taken.Northern loop Summer Trip - San Francisco, Muir Woods National Monument (amazing), Napa Valley, Point Reyes and/or Mendocino Coast, Redwood NP (watch for large herds of elk roaming the park and nearby neighborhoods), Crater Lake in S. Oregon is one of the most beautiful sights on earth. Lava Beds NM (I predict this will eventually get “promoted” to a NP - it execeeded all expectations). Lassen - really uncrowded. You will generally trade off accessibility for crowds. This has some of the best thermal features outside Yellowstone.SoCal Loop - This is a winter or spring (wildflowers!) trip. LA or Las Vegas to Death Valley (just had great 3 day getaway trip there in January!) This park is huge - larger than the state of CT - the largest in the lower 48). Spectacular colors and landscapes. If you have time you can continue up the “back road” of CA, US 395 to Mammoth, Mono Lake, Yosemite back door, etc. Manzanar historic site is near the West entrance.SoCal Desert Loop. You can do this all year, but you might not enjoy it in the summer. Joshua Tree NP, Coachella Valley, Salton Sea, Anzo Borrego Desert State Park, Julian, San Diego, and loop back up north either via San Diego and the Coast, or Mount Palomar and Temecula wine country. This is the shortest of the loops I have listed, and you could do this enjoyable in as little as 3–4 days.Central Loop - Can do this most of the year, but spring/fall is best for nice weather and sparser crowds. From either Northern or Southern CA, head to the Sierras for Sequoia/Kings Canyon (really one big park). or head up to Yosemite (or both). Loop back to SoCal via the coast (if they get Highway 1 fixed - through Big Sur, it is one of the world’s most beautiful drives) Be sure to stop at point Lobos - the crown jewel of the CA state parks system, the famous waterfall at Julia Pfeffer Burns, Hearst Castle, and lots more eye candy.The Mighty Five: This is not really a CA trip, but note that Zion NP in UT is only 30 minutes further from Los Angeles than Yosemite! The “Mighty 5” National Parks of Utah can be done in a loop (we did it once in 6 days from LA, including Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands (Upper), Arches, Canyonlands (Lower), Natural Bridges, the Moki Dugway, Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon South rim, Lake Havasu City and back to LA.) On a longer trip, you can insert the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in between Bryce and Zion. The North Rim is 1000′ higher than the South rim, and has about 1% of the crowds. Once again, you trade off accessibility for crowds. I think Canyonlands is more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. Would be interested to know if you agree.Great Basin Loop (Nevada, Utah. Head up north on the 15 to the northern part of Zion, then Cedar Breaks (kind a miniature Bryce). Up to the top of Brian Head amazing views. North to Great Basin National Park, then head west on the loneliest road in America to Virginia City, Reno, Lake Tahoe. South to Bodie historical park, Mono Lake, up across the Tioga road through Yosemite, down into the valley, and on back to wherever you started. The contrasts on this loop are amazing. The great basin is one of the darkest places in the US, and bone dry - great for nighttime stargazing.There’s lots more, but these are some starting ideas for you. Some general notes:If you driving during any vacation seasons, be sure to have hotels/motels/campsites reserved LONG in advance. Some places book up YEARS in advance. Do not assume you will be able to find a place to stay without a reservation.Distances in ALL the western states are huge. Over 800 miles of Interstate 5 are in CA. DO NOT SPEED. Like everything else in CA, tickets are VERY expensive. Fortunately, many routes have high speed limits.There are 9 NPs in CA, and a LOT of amazing state parks. We have been doing driving trips since 1978 and haven’t come close to seeing the whole state.The coast redwoods are the tallest living things on earth, and the sequoia redwoods are the biggest. Related, but different.My 2 favorite National Parks are still Yellowstone and Volcanos in HI. All the NPs are “Eye Candy” but at these two especially, nature gets up and puts on a Broadway show for you!Coastal Southern CA has nice weather all year. Central and Northern coasts can very damp and chilly in the winter. The Mountains will have a LOT of snow and closed roads in the winter. Sometimes, the mountain roads are snow covered well into July. Lake Tahoe will have skiing all summer this year. The deserts are warm by day and very cold at night in the winter, and can be deadly hot in the summer. These are generalizations, but the principle is that there are tremendous extremes in climate across the region. Highway 1 is currently impassable at Big Sur due to landslides. Research and prepare.Postscript: We’ll be driving up to Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho in August to see the eclipse. Return trip home will take us down the aforementioned “back road” of California. We plan to visit at 4 Natl Parks and Natl Monuments enroute.

Travel packing and preparation tips for disabled travellers can be located on the pages within this site. Yes, outside of any individual medical needs, prep for a travelling trip is the same as for anyone.The focus is on resources and destinations that make themselves available to disabled travellers. Travellers with disabilities have more resources now on that to rely on than ever before, which makes it easier than ever get where you need to go.There are a lot of destinations that accommodate disabled go travellers. Here are the most prominent of the thousands available in the next comprehensive listing.U.S. National Park ServiceThe U.S. National Park Service provides a Golden Access Passport which gives free lifetime entrance to U.S. national parks for individuals who are blind or permanently disabled, irrespective of age. Get more list of National Park Of The United States.You may pick up a Golden Access Passport at any NPS entrance fee region by showing proof of medically determined disability and eligibility for receiving benefits under federal law. Besides free entrance, the Golden Access Passport also provides a 50% reduction on federal-use fees charged for these facilities like swimming, swimming, parking, boat launching, and tours. For more information, visit NPS or telephone 888-GO-PARKS (467-2757).Note: If you need any help regarding Delta Airlines Reservations you can contact Airlines Gethuman. They have solution for everything but travel.Tour Company List• Entry Adventures, a Rochester, New York-based service, offers customized itineraries for an assortment of travellers with disabilities.• Accessible Italy (tel. 011-39/549-875392; Disability travel) provides tours for groups and individuals within Italy.• Accessible Journeys (tel. 800/TINGLES or 610/521-0339; Wheelchair Travel - Accessible Cruises - Disability Resources) caters specifically to slow walkers and wheelchair travellers and their families and friends.• Adventures Within (tel. 303/744-8813;) offers programs for individuals with multiple sclerosis, limited to outside trips and other obstacles at the Colorado Rockies.• Chalfont Line Ltd. (tel. 011-44/20-8997-3799; Hay Day and Zula Hacks in 2020 - Generator of Free Altin and Diamonds [Online Tool] - Hay Day Hack 2020) is a British-based company supplying escorted vacations around the world for handicapped and the elderly.• Cosley & Houston Alpine Guides (tel. 760/872-3811; Cosley & Houston Alpine Guides) supplies mountain climbing for the deaf.• Epic Enabled (tel. 011-27/21-78-9575) provides experiences tours for individuals in wheelchairs or disabled, in and around South Africa.• The Guided Tour (tel. 800/783-5841) provides travel programs globally for persons with physical or developmental challenges. In business since 1972.• Jubilee Sailing Trust (tel. 011-44/23-8044-9108; A Sea of Possibility | JST) offers adventure sailing for disabled and non-disabled adults on tall ships.• Navy Nepal (tel. 011-977/1-280856) offers free tours through the Himalayan countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, with emphasis on Buddhist sites.• Neverland Adventures (tel. 800/717-8226;) is a disabled-owned and- operated travel company providing tours to Australia and New Zealand for those with disabilities, in business since 1994.• Rimrock Outfitters (tel. 970/533-7588;) has guided searches for the disabled in the foothills of the Colorado La Plata mountains.• SeeMore Scenic Tours (tel. 011-61/7-3805-5588;) offers wheelchair and electric scooter accessible tours in Australia, including rainforests and cities, to mention only two destinations.• Trips Inc. (tel. 800/686-1013; All-Inclusive Vacation Tours for Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities - Trips, Inc.) offers supervised travel within the USA for adults with physical and mental developmental disabilities.• Wheel Coach (tel. 340/719-9335;) is a company offering tours and holiday planning for individuals with disabilities travelling to the U.S. Virgin Islands.• Wilderness Inquiry (tel. 612/676-9400;) is a non-profit group specializing in outdoor adventures trips in North America.Publications• Mobility International USAPublishes A World of Options, a 658-page publication of sources, covering everything from biking excursions to scuba outfitters, and a biannual newsletter, Over the Rainbow.• Open World for Disability and Mature TravelingMagazine, published by the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (see above), is filled with great resources and information. A year's subscription is $13 ($21 outside the U.S.). Twin Peaks Press (tel. 360/694-2462) publishes travel-related books for travellers with special needs.

I would say that since all of Western Europe fits into Eastern Canada, that you have to be very selective in where you want to visit. We had a house in Alberta for ten years and I would say that I would choose Western Canada hands down. In fact, even that area is too large so I would chose either the province of British Columbia and/or Alberta. Alberta is twice the size of Great Britain. British Columbia is much larger than Turkey.British Columbia has one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, Vancouver, which is 45% Asian. Needless to say, there are lots of Asian cultural things and restaurants. Vancouver is one of the prettiest cities of the world with coastal mountains and lots of outdoor activities from hiking to skiing. Victoria has a diverse cuisine as well. There are ferries to fjords and glaciers along the Inside Passage to Alaska. Then there is the Pacific Coast on Vancouver Island. The southern route leads to vineyards and the Kootenay mountains and hot springs. So that is one diverse itinerary.Unfortunately, the Canadian Rockies are not a secret at all. You can easily spend a month there. Keep in mind that the five National & Provincial Parks are half the size of Switzerland with a lot more wilderness. There is Yoho and Kootenay NPs and Mt Robson PP on the BC side, There are Jasper and Banff NPs on the Alberta side. The number of places you can choose from are overwhelming.I would recommend you read the Canadian Rockies Spectacular Scenery post for an overview off the must-see places. But based on our years of living there, I strongly recommend the Icefield Parkway is THE Must See. My photo of Peyto Lake above is on the Icefield Parkway. So many people just concentrate on Banff and Lake Louise towns — wrong. After the Icefield Parkway, I would not miss Moraine Lake and the hiking trails starting there: see Banff to Lake Louise Must See Sights post.Regards Terra Encounters