The Best Wheelchair Accessible Trips to Take for Every Season

Accessible Things to Do in Key West, Florida

If you’re like me and want to stay warm all winter long, a visit to Key West, Florida in the middle of January sounds ideal! It is a laid-back, sun-soaked city with an island vibe where everyone, including people who use wheelchairs, can feel welcomed and relaxed.

To get the perfect feel for Key West, make sure to ride the wheelchair accessible Conch Tour Train. This is a 75-minute ride that will take you to the most notable spots, such as the Southernmost Point Buoy.  I love this train because it has a ramp and tie-downs to secure your wheelchair. You may want to call ahead to ensure the accessible train will be available and ready for your arrival.

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park is the perfect spot to get some sand on your wheels and feel the ocean breeze. The upper area of the beach is made of hard-packed sand, and my power wheelchair easily rolled across it. I was able to get close to the water and spend some much-needed time relaxing under the palm trees. If needed, there are also manual beach wheelchairs available for free at the Cayo Hueso Café.

Accessibility in Bend, Oregon

If you love feeling the fresh, cold air in the winter months, and seeing powdery, white snow, Bend, Oregon may be your destination of choice. 

Bend offers winter temperatures with highs in the 40s and lows on average in the 20s. 

Finding the perfect spot to enjoy the great outdoors is easy in Bend, but I especially loved rolling along the Riley Ranch Nature Reserve Trail. Here, there is a one-mile loop made of hard-packed gravel. This trail is mostly flat with a few steeper areas, but my power wheelchair had no issues rolling throughout and I feel as though a manual wheelchair user would have the same experience. 

You can also find adaptive snow skiing at Mount Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. By contacting Oregon Adaptive Sports, you can snow ski with their assistance on a sit ski. The staff are skilled and avid skiers and are very helpful in making you feel comfortable and secure in your sit ski. They are careful and patient and make sure you are transferred and properly secured in the ski before assisting you down the slopes. This experience is one of the greatest things I have ever done, and I would highly recommend it to anyone willing to give it a try.

Sonoma, California

Springtime is the perfect opportunity to visit some of the more than 425 wineries in Sonoma County, as well as the Charles M Schulz Museum (the “Snoopy” museum). The weather is perfect this time of year and the sunshine warms the soul while sitting out over a winery, tasting their many offerings or strolling through the comic strip museum. The Sonoma Valley has so much to offer visitors in this incredible destination. 

Rams Gate Winery is a gorgeous 28-acre estate located in the Sonoma Valley. This winery offers several tasting options, with wheelchair accessible seating both indoors and outside, which overlooks the sprawling vineyard. Their wines are among the best I have sipped, and I would highly recommend a visit here. 

The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa is a must-do when visiting the Sonoma Valley. The museum is wheelchair accessible with parking near the entrance and elevators inside to visit the multiple levels. Here, you will feel like you have been transported back in time to your childhood, enjoying Charlie Brown and Snoopy clips, drawings, displays, and the history of how this legacy was born. This is such a fun museum, and I just couldn’t visit here without grabbing a Snoopy souvenir at their gift shop.

Maui, Hawaii

Visiting Maui, Hawaii in the springtime is ideal for the perfect weather. Normally, it doesn’t get too hot, and the cool ocean breeze is absolute perfection. The flowers are in full bloom, so the leis are simply gorgeous when you visit the luaus. 

Old Lahaina Luau is one experience you don’t want to miss. It is no wonder why it is consistently rated as one of the best in all of Hawaii. The wheelchair accessibility is great, as there are paved pathways throughout the area and the staff is very helpful in making sure the accommodations suit your needs. There are some shops and craft booths set up and you can also view the pig being cooked in a traditional Hawaiian underground oven. The accessible seating for the luau show was perfect, and you have a great view of the stage while eating a delicious and authentically cooked Hawaiian feast. This show will give you an awesome Hawaiian experience. 

Drive the Road to Hana! This is a scenic drive with beautiful views and lots of must-see stops along the way. The road is extremely curvy, 617 curves to be exact, but the views are incredible. You will cross 56 bridges across the span of the 52-mile, curvy road but the best part is you can stay in your wheelchair in the van and enjoy the scenery of waterfalls and tropical plants along the way or make several stops and take advantage of these gorgeous photo opportunities.

Wheelchair Accessibility in Coastal Maine

Visiting Coastal Maine anytime will give you a gorgeous experience, but going there in the summer is even more spectacular! With temperatures in the high 80s, and the evenings cooling down for an enjoyable night on the town, Coastal Maine is the perfect spot.  

Since Maine has 3,500 miles of shoreline, finding a nice accessible beach to cool down and enjoy the water is important. The great news is Maine offers lots of accessibility options. People who use wheelchairs will find beach wheelchairs offered at Webb Lake Beach, Ferry Beach State Park, Crescent Beach, and Sebago Lake Beach, as well as many other locations throughout the coast. 

If trails are more your style, Coastal Maine also offers accessible trails at Crescent Beach, Sebago Lake Beach, Cadillac Summit Loop Trail in Acadia National Park, and Jesup and Hemlock Loop Trail among many others. Besides taking in the sights from a trail or relaxing on the beaches in Coastal Maine, the tasty lobster rolls bring me back time after time! It’s truly the perfect place. 

Accessibility in Southern Idaho

Southern Idaho has so much to offer to wheelchair users, and what better time to visit than the summer! With average temperatures in the mid 70s and 80s, Southern Idaho can be the perfect place to make the most of your accessible vacation days. 

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is unlike any other park I have visited. The vast expanse of petrified lava is surreal. Not only are you able to drive through this area and see the incredible landscape, but you can also roll through it on the accessible trails. This park offers great accessibility for wheelchair users at North Crater Flow Trail, Devil’s Orchard Trail, and the Snow Cone Trail. I was able to easily roll on each of these trails in my power wheelchair, and I would highly recommend visiting this area.

Another site you will want to visit in southern Idaho is Shoshone Falls. It is truly one of the most spectacular bodies of water I have seen. This waterfall is known as the “Niagara of the West”, and it is actually taller than Niagara Falls! Standing at about 200 feet tall and 900 feet wide, the Falls can be enjoyed from a smoothly paved viewing platform from your wheelchair, and the photos from here are incredible. 

Wheelchair Accessible Trips to Take in the Fall

Wheelchair accessible trips to take in Fall include:

Visiting Vermont in a Wheelchair

Autumn in Vermont is like no other time of year. The leaves are changing to gorgeous hues of golden yellow, orange, and even deep, dark reds. Just visiting Vermont to see the colors of the leaves is worth the trip, but there is so much more to see and do here as a wheelchair user in the Fall. 

Since Autumn is prime apple season in Vermont, visiting an apple orchard is a must-do to get into the Fall season. Adam’s Apple Orchard, just outside of Burlington, is the perfect spot to roll through and find those low hanging apples fresh from the trees. This orchard has a designated area for wheelchair users, with flat terrain and low hanging apples that can be reached from your wheelchair. They also offer delicious homemade apple cider and maple bacon donuts.

If you’d like to relax on the water and see the Autumn colors, Burlington offers a wheelchair accessible experience onboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen Cruise. This boat can take you on a lunch cruise across the beautiful Lake Champlain. During a recent visit, I was able to easily get onboard with the ramps that are readily available and access the entire lower level. The large windows allow guests to see everything with ease and you can eat a delicious, well-prepared meal and enjoy the views across the lake.

Plan a Wheelchair Accessible Trip to Salem, Massachusetts

Being home to the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692, Salem is the perfect location to visit during the Fall months, especially Halloween! The spooky season in Salem is full of thrills and chills for everyone, including wheelchair users. 

The most popular attraction in Salem is the Salem Witch Museum. If planning a visit here during October, you will need to book your tickets online on the day you plan to visit. Tickets sell quickly, so be proactive, otherwise, you may wait in line for hours to get inside. The entrance is wheelchair accessible and once inside, you can easily roll through the life-size stage sets with animatronic characters portraying the Salem Witch Trials. This museum also has several exhibits that tell the story of what it means to be a witch and offers a souvenir shop. Lifts are available throughout the museum, and wheelchair users can easily access the entire museum. 

Rolling along Essex Street, especially if visiting in October near the 31st, can be an experience in itself. The street is filled with people in costumes and there are many shops in this downtown area that are accessible to visit in a wheelchair. If in this area, you may want to roll inside a shop called New England Magic. Here, you can get a tarot reading or simply look around.