Take my disabled Mom on a scenic vacation.
 

My Mom loves nature and loves to paint landscapes.

She has been disabled for most of her life, and it has progressed over the past 10 years. She has never truly been on a vacation and I would love to take her on a trip where we can spend some quality time together.

I want to take her somewhere beautiful and scenic where she can enjoy nature, breath taking views and enjoy herself. She has difficulty in the cold weather, and doesn't do well with a lot of sitting or walking.

She used to be wheelchair bound, started using her walker, but is in quite a bit of pain when using her walker. Travel by foot being minimized would be beneficial.

I had thought of Lake Louise, Grand Canyon and Finger Lakes. Any recommendations with specific information and or information on the above locations would be great! Time of year to visit would also be beneficial as her pain is worse when temperatures drop below 50 degrees Farenheit.

Thank you!

Where would you be starting from? What forms of transport do you and mom favor?
Two beautiful National Parks that are not very hard to get to from Amtrak are Grand Canyon (South rim) and Yosemite.
To get to Grand Canyon get off the Southwest Chief at Williams AZ and take the Grand Canyon Railroad north right to the south rim.
For Yosemite you get off the San Joaquin train at Merced and take a YARTS bus to Yosemite Village. There are Park buses to get around within Yosemite.

If cold weather is a problem for her look at going to either Grand Canyon South rim or Yosemite in the warmer months. Both seemed to be wheel chair friendly from what I saw. I recall some posts here asking about disability access bit since I don't need it, I can't quickly recall it. If you head to Arizona the driving scenery can be quite nice which would be a plus. My Dad would have been happy sitting all day at the breakfast room in Sedona just looking out the window at the red rocks.

An Alaska cruise? In the summer climate is temperate. If you got a cabin with a balcony she could watch scenery go by. She might be able to do some of the excursions.

I think ease of transportation to vacation spot is also something to consider. Non-stop flights and shorter distances to vacation spot would be better.

How long is she comfortable sitting in a car? Yellowstone is also a possibility. Driving the "Figure 8" roadway system has all sorts of views and almost guaranteed animals. Short distance from parking areas there is even more to see. I might choose to stay outside the Park, since rooms might have more amenities for those with mobility disabilities.

I like the idea of an Alaskan cruise. Oregon coast possibly? Or hwy 1 in California with a few nights in big sur?

The easiest scenic trip I did with an older mobility limited relative was Cape Cod, if beaches appeal.

Also Yosemite valley would work (as well as many other places) if you could convince her to rent a scooter.

You sound like a wonderful daughter.

Where you are traveling from and when you want to travel matter a lot.

We took our first cruise last January, and there were people who never left the boat, happy just to watch the Caribbean flow by outside.

We took a Viking River cruise in April. And one of our favorite fellow passengers was a woman in her sixties who had both physical and intellectual deficits. Her caregiver, a niece was amazing, and she herself was enthusiastic about all she saw.

But many of us can help you work out a foliage and seacoast tour if you come east.

My mom has an injured spinal cord and we took my parents on an Alaskan cruise. It was really, really expensive but my mom was able to see an incredible amount of scenery doing very minimal walking. Boating by glaciers, trains through the mountainside, whale watching, helicopter rides.

Oh wow! I did not expect to see so many responses, so quickly. Thank you all! And Ackislander, you are sweet. I am a very lucky daughter.

We are actually on the East Coast, in Northern New Jersey. East Coast trips would definitely be easier.

Time frame for travel is flexible. Exception being, my job has a blackout period during the holidays, so before late Oct and after January.

This is something I have been wanting to do for quite some time, and I truly appreciate all the help. I just found this forum last night while researching Lake Louise!

I may even do a fall foliage trip on the East Coast as some of you have suggested, and then possibly plan a larger trip in advance for next year.

Any recommendations of places to stay or scenic areas to visit for a foliage trip? And any recommendations for the trip next year? That trip can be anywhere. Flying isn't very easy for her, but long car trips aren't either as she has trouble sitting in one position for long periods of time. At least with a plane, we can get somewhere pretty amazing, in a few short hours.

I also really like the idea of a cruise and having a balcony room for her to be able to see all the views. That is a wonderful suggestion!

She loves Mountains, waterfalls etc. Absolutely in love with nature, and being very independent, but not very mobile has made it tricky to figure out a nice vacation spot. She can walk a little bit (very minimal), but not in the same way we all would sightsee. Walking on a daily basis is quite difficult for her.

I truly appreciate all the help as I have had a difficult time figuring out an easy trip for her. You are all wonderful! Thank you again!

We love to visit Cape Cod off season. There are still places to stay, and eat, but no crowds. Driving around and parking are much easier and the weather is usually milder than inland. Late October would be fine.

If you don't want to drive the whole way, you could take the train to Providence and rent a car for the rest of the trip.

<i>Any recommendations of places to stay or scenic areas to visit for a foliage trip? And any recommendations for the trip next year?</i>

I was planning to do a leaf-peeping drive this year focusing on western North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains. I may still do this, but in all the research I've been doing on driving routes, I've discovered a near-universal warning that the drought in the northeast this year is likely to result in a sub-par autumn. The colors are likely to be quite muted (more browns than reds/oranges/yellows) and "leaf-drop" is likely to be earlier than normal.

One of the areas that *might* be exempt is a relatively small area stretching from southern Pennsylvania to northern Virginia, including Gettysburg and - maybe - parts of Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. From northern NJ that wouldn't be a terribly long time in the car, and there's some lovely country - covered bridges in PA, Charlottesville... - that you could visit.

Farther out, let me expand on the Alaska cruise idea.

I think a round-trip cruise out of Vancouver would be ideal. You unpack once, the ships are all very comfortable for people with mobility issues, and on a per-person-per-day basis they're actually quite affordable compared with land vacations. I'd recommend the round trip over the one-way cruises from Vancouver to Seward or Whittier (both close to Anchorage) because that will avoid many logistical hassles at the northern end, not to mention the additional cost. The round-trips out of Vancouver (not Seattle, due to an inferior route the ships take from there) include wonderful scenery including the Inside Passage, glaciers, etc. Get a balcony cabin, and choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay, and you're set.

If you could take two weeks, then you might consider extending the trip. You could head to Whistler, a ski resort (but lots of action in the summer) a couple of hours north of Vancouver - stunning scenery and easily accessed from Vancouver.

Or look at the Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland, Oregon. The Gorge has numerous waterfalls, magnificent scenery, the quirky Maryhill Museum, the Hood River Valley with its "fruit loop," orchards and wineries, and Mount Hood looming over everything. It's a very compact area, very convenient to Portland airport, and packs a real punch for just a few days' visit.