Yosemite and Disneyland trip?

[walkena]

Hi there,

I am thinking about maybe taking a California trip next year to finally see Disneyland. Our son has a developmental disability and uses a wheelchair and we love the super accessibility of WDW and are now thinking about venturing beyone Orlando.I would like to fly in to LAX and make the most of the travel time by spending 5 nights (4 full days) at Disneyland (staying at the Disneyland Hotel) and then driving along the scenic route to finally reach Yosemite (staying 3 nights in Ahwahnee) and then flying out of San Francisco back to Toronto. My questions:

1) I am wondering about accessibility? I figure that Disneyland will be fine (we will rent a minivan to be sure that transportation is a breeze) however what about Yosemite and Ahwahnee? 2)We love taking long walks and I am hoping that we can explore the park with relative ease. 3) Also, if anyone has any feedback on Ahwanee - I am hoping that this is a kid friendly resort and not too fussy.
4) Can we make the drive from Disneyland to Yosemite in one day?

Any guidance would be welcomed

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Disneyland Park is much older and almost completely built prior to the ADA, while DCA is fully compliant. In DL you will be more likely using alternate entrances as opposed to being mainstreamed, as in WDW. Often the alternate lines may take longer than the regular lines.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Hi there,

I am thinking about maybe taking a California trip next year to finally see Disneyland. Our son has a developmental disability and uses a wheelchair and we love the super accessibility of WDW and are now thinking about venturing beyone Orlando.I would like to fly in to LAX and make the most of the travel time by spending 5 nights (4 full days) at Disneyland (staying at the Disneyland Hotel) and then driving along the scenic route to finally reach Yosemite (staying 3 nights in Ahwahnee) and then flying out of San Francisco back to Toronto. My questions:

1) I am wondering about accessibility? I figure that Disneyland will be fine (we will rent a minivan to be sure that transportation is a breeze) however what about Yosemite and Ahwahnee? 2)We love taking long walks and I am hoping that we can explore the park with relative ease. 3) Also, if anyone has any feedback on Ahwanee - I am hoping that this is a kid friendly resort and not too fussy.
4) Can we make the drive from Disneyland to Yosemite in one day?

Any guidance would be welcomed

you can drive to yosemite but I wouldnt plan on doing much that day...your looking at about a 5 to 51/2 hour trip if you have minimal traffic....ahwahnee hotel is not a kid friendly resort imo...its a 4 star hotel and caters more to pampering than anything...you will have alot of fun exploring the park just plan on spending alot of time walking...

 

[NostalgicDad]

We just did a Yosemite/DL trip 2 weeks ago. We flew into LAX then immediately drove to Yosemite taking the most direct route through Bakersfield/Fresno and it took us 5 1/2 hours which included a couple of stops. For us, it was no problem making that drive since it was a travel day anyway. Yosemite is fabulous! We did not stay at the Ahwahnee, however, so I cannot really comment on that other than the appearance is spectacular. I think you'll be able to explore a great deal in the park and enjoy it quite a bit.

After 4 days in Yosemite, we drove back taking a more scenic route along the coast, cutting over to San Luis Obispo then down to Anaheim. This route took us 9 hours on a Saturday but still was no problem since we were seeing sights we've never seen before. After doing the SD Zoo and then 4 days at DL we flew back home from LAX. The logistics of this trip seemed to work really well. I'm sure others can help more with the accessibility concerns but I wanted to give you a perspective on the similar travelling we just did.

 

[mrypg]

Hi there,

I am thinking about maybe taking a California trip next year to finally see Disneyland. Our son has a developmental disability and uses a wheelchair and we love the super accessibility of WDW and are now thinking about venturing beyone Orlando.I would like to fly in to LAX and make the most of the travel time by spending 5 nights (4 full days) at Disneyland (staying at the Disneyland Hotel) and then driving along the scenic route to finally reach Yosemite (staying 3 nights in Ahwahnee) and then flying out of San Francisco back to Toronto. My questions:

1) I am wondering about accessibility? I figure that Disneyland will be fine (we will rent a minivan to be sure that transportation is a breeze) however what about Yosemite and Ahwahnee? 2)We love taking long walks and I am hoping that we can explore the park with relative ease. 3) Also, if anyone has any feedback on Ahwanee - I am hoping that this is a kid friendly resort and not too fussy.
4) Can we make the drive from Disneyland to Yosemite in one day?

Any guidance would be welcomed

Hi,

I have been to Yosemite for over 30+ years,,I would suggest staying at the Lodge at Yosemite (more kid friendly) great pool and nightly programs. Book your reservation right now or you will not get a room you can always change it but it is very very hard to get reservations. We just took our 4 yr old to Yosemite and she always loves it.

Please don't forget to come to Carmel/Monterey.

When you get closer to your trip to Yosemite let me know and i will get you a great room (pm please). I have had friends that work up there since we were teenagers 25+ years ago!!!

Spend more time in California if you can 2 weeks would be great for you and your family.

 

[Hound 109]

Have fun planning your trip & have a great time on it. I don't have any info in regards to your questions, but would suggest that you check out SpartanGirl's trip report on the DL trip report page. Lots of great pics & info on SF, Yosemite & the California Central coast. (& DLR)

 

[ScooterL]

2)We love taking long walks and I am hoping that we can explore the park with relative ease. 3) Also, if anyone has any feedback on Ahwanee - I am hoping that this is a kid friendly resort and not too fussy.
4) Can we make the drive from Disneyland to Yosemite in one day?

"Long walks" are going to be a bit difficult - Yosemite has only a few trails that are wheelchair accessible. I suppose you could take a wheelchair on the paved bike/pedestrian paths though - and there's one section that goes through an old campground so it's a nice wide road instead of just a bike path - and part of it is along/over the river so it's kind of nice. And the path from Yosemite Lodge to the Swinging Bridge and back down along the meadow to Sentinel Bridge then back to the Lodge is very nice - you see the Merced River, Yosemite Falls, and Half Dome. That loop is probably close to 3 miles. As far as other accessible trails go there's the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail and the path to Bridalveil Fall (but only to a point - that one gets too steep towards the end). If you go to the Mariposa Grove during the tourist season while the tram is running (~Memorial Day - end of September) you might be able to ride the tram, but otherwise the trails are dirt and steep. There is a wheelchair-accessible path at the top of Glacier Point. Most of the trails (Vernal/Nevada Falls, 4-mile trail, etc.) are dirt and steep and not suitable for wheelchairs. Happy Isles has a nature center that is accessible, though.

I believe that all of the (free) shuttle buses in the Valley have a wheelchair lift. You might want to take the Valley Floor Tour - there's a fee for it, but it's an open tram, and you get to see a lot of the sights around the Valley floor and learn interesting stuff about how it was formed, the history, and so on.

I'd suggest that you take a look at the "Accessibility Guide" available on Yosemite's web site: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/access.pdf

It has information on accessible restrooms, accessible rooms at the hotels, handicap parking, etc. And I'm sure you can contact the park directly if you have additional questions.

I wouldn't call the Ahwahnee "kid friendly", at least not in the sense that Disney is, but I've certainly seen kids at the Ahwahnee. Be aware that it is a more sedate and dignified environment. Also, if you want to have dinner at the Ahwahnee, coat and tie is required for men, and women should wear appropriate attire as well. There's no dress code for breakfast or lunch, though. We usually eat breakfast at the Ahwahnee once during our trips - they have a delicious breakfast buffet!

You can certainly drive from Disneyland to Yosemite in a day - it's about 6-1/2 - 7 hours depending on traffic and how much you stop - but you mentioned wanting a "scenic" drive, and the shortest route is NOT very scenic until the last 40 miles or so.

Hope that helps!

 

[walkena]

I think we can make this work for us with a lot of planning - fortunately I enjoy that part of a vacation too....