[Travelandtourism] National Parks and Monuments

[tattenberg at gmail.com]

That sounds like close to all you need, or it sounds pretty good at least!
I'm always kean to know about means to traveling as independently as
possible. I've been to several NPs, including Shenandoah, Great Smokey's,
Olympic, Mesa Verde, Crater Lake etc., but I always went on road trips with
others who served as personal guides. I'd of course be interested in
learning about transit to and from parks, as well as shuttles that get one
through arteries within them. I believe that ranger led hikes in many cases
will focus on things like bird sounds and plants you can touch or at least
get close to. That's true in many smaller nature preserves, like at Audubon
sanctuaries, and it is true in national parks in other countries. Probably
true also with regards to historical monuments so far as is
practical--perhaps one can make arrangements to get a more tactile tour of
things that would otherwise be off limits to that type of activity? Trail
accessibility of course depends on individual ability/mobility. Some parks
have wheelchair accessible trails, but of course that's limited so far as
ADA standards go--we're talking about a lot of rugged terrane. I'd be
interested to know how easy getting a personally guided ranger tour would be
for a blind person or group of blind persons. Often ranger guided tours
aren't particularly physically challenging, and thus aren't a bad way to go
if you are doing it alone.
I realize that digital self-guided tours via apps are becoming more common.
I'm interested in that, and can't speak much to them in an outdoor context.
Good topic.
Best,
Trevor A 

-----Original Message-----
From: TravelAndTourism <travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
Peter Donahue via TravelAndTourism
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 6:49 PM
To: 'NFB Travel and Tourism Division List' <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
Subject: [Travelandtourism] National Parks and Monuments

Good evening everyone,

 

                One place we've always wanted to go is to some of our
national parks. We're curious to know if anyone here has visited any of our
national parks and monuments, how accessible were the park offerings and
accommodations and what activities did you enjoy as a blind person.

                Since becoming Amazon Prime Members we've bought a number of
videos about many of America's national parks including those in Alaska and
Hawaii. Speaking of Alaska I was surprised to learn that Denali National
Park has bus transportation that must be used by all park visitors so no
worries about transportation within Denali. I believe some of Alaska's other
national parks can only be reached by fairy.

 

                As for the parks in the lower 48 like Denali the eastern
portion of Rockey Mountain National Park along with Glacier National Park
also operate shuttle busses allowing visitors to take in many of the park
attractions. Yosemite National Park has shuttle busses that operate
throughout the park. Ground 0 for this service is the Yosemite Valley Hotel.
There are also a few other parks with shuttle service within the park
boundaries too. One of the highlights at Yosemite during the holidays is the
"Bracebridge Dinner." This event is held at what was the Awani Hotel and is
a recreation of an authentic old English Christmas Dinner complete with nine
food courses and a musical production. Attending that event would really put
the Christmas back into Christmas for us as many family members are no
longer with us and we often find ourselves spending Christmas alone. It's
something to set a travel goal to accomplish.

 

                If traveling by stage coach is of interest Acadia and
Yellowstone National Parks have you covered. Some parks also have rail
service within the park or that bring visitors to the park when they pass
through. Amtrak's Empire Builder makes several stops in Glacier National
Park on its run between Chicago and Seattle.

 

                Many parks also offer guided tours which could be helpful
for a blind person. We'd be curious to know what other accommodations our
national parks and monuments have available. All the best.

 

                Peter Donahue who looks forward to dining with the squire
and his court at Yosemite National Park with wife Mary by his side.

 

               

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