Have a 25 year old special needs child in a wheelchair, can anyone advise a particular campsite that would permit us to get around and see things in a Seqouia National Park. Please help wih any suggestions and advise. We are in a 34ft Fleetwood Discovery, fully contained and are very anxous to go.
great choice you will find seqouia and kings canyon very wheelcair
friendly
your only issuse may be fitting your rig into some of the campsites
i would try and arrive on a sunday around 11 to get the most choices
dump station is only at hume lake and the road down to kings canyon is full of hairpin turns but we have done it hundreds of times in both a large cab over and our 32ft national .
its our favorite place
1999 sea breeze limited 1310 31 no slides
ford v10 19.5 245 r 70 hankook tires
wife mary 29 yrs and 2 dogs hemi and bubba
I have taken the highway out of Sequoia National Park several times to the south, and I really enjoy mountain driving. It is challenging to say the least. If you really enjoy mountain driving, then you might like it, the trees looks great, one place in the road they split the road for the 8 or 10' diameter tree that is has to pass. My suggestion is avoid this road, and take the extra 50 miles to get to highway 180, it is a much less steep road, the one trucks are required to use when they enter and leave the park.
Buy enough fuel for the entire trip while in Fresno, they only sell very expensive fuel trucked into Hume Lake within the park.
When I was there, I did not need a wheelchair, but found the sites decent, and will not hesitate to return with a wheelchair next time. I am in the process of looking for a handicap wheelchair accessible motorhome, and not finding many are out there. Probably will end up with a Goshichi truck and pull a toy hauler of some sorts. Other pick is a E-350 with a underfloor lift and pull a smaller toy hauler.
Will you be bringing a towed vehicle? That makes it handy to get around the park, there is no shuttle service last time I checked. The biggest trees are near Grant Village, 5 sisters are all similar size trees that are thought to have sprung up around the tree trunk in a 50' diameter area, so a massive mother tree is thought to have fallen about 2,000 - 2,500 years ago that was 45' or so in diameter.
The largest trees - some are here, others are further up the coast past Napa, in that park. One with the largest diameter is just inside Yosemite NP. Taking highway 41 north into Yosemite, then turn right at the entrance station, about 2 miles brings you to the parking lot of the Grizzly Giant, it is a 33' diameter tree, with it's first branch 105' above ground level.
The high altitude does effect some people, and sunburn can happen much faster than at sea level, due to less atmosphere above you.
There is very little cell phone coverage last time I was there, summer of 2010. Don't know if the parks department has figured out that a cell phone tower is for the safety of guests or not, right now the attitude is install anything, and it will bring in more people, and we don't want that!
So the Parks department has been busy taking out paved roadways, and not been really good about installing paved access roads or ramps. They are even talking about taking out the sewage treatment plant, and making all park workers live someplace else, that will cause early morning traffic jams.
I was able to find a 40' parking space wen I was there July 9th 2010. I had to park the jeep we towed up there in a adjacent spot, but with a handicap card you can get a free disable access card, and that is good for 50% off the camping fees, free admission to the park, and it was not that expensive. Bring along proof that you qualify for the card, and they will give you a access card at the pay gate.
we were there last September ( Sept 2011), we have a 34ft Safari
go to Fresno
take hw 180 east to the North Entrance
after entering the park take the Generals Hw south into Sequoia
camp at lodge pole campground
probably best to call ahead or go online for reservations
this is probably the best 'wheelchair' campground
all the major attractions in both parks are paved,
if you go to the General Sherman Tree
park in the upper parking lot
and is an easy downhill path for the self guided tour of all the trees
at the bottom you can take tram/bus back up the hill
i love the north park 'Kings Canyon' but the campgrounds are hilly not so easy getting around using a wheel chair
Sunset is my favorite camp ground in the north park
do not drive the South Entrance rd from Visalia , it has a 23ft vehicle limit and was under renovation last yr, its impossible in yours or ours MH
if you make North Down into the Canyon proper with your toad
once down there its wheel chair friendly
but most of what you want to see is in the topside sections
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