Archive for Access Northern California

Five Great Accessible Parks

By Bonnie Lewkowicz on April 8, 2019 No Comments
Beach at Clear Lake State Park

Now that the rains are letting up it’s time to start planning some outdoor adventures. As Program Manager of BORP’s Access Northern California program, I was recently asked by the San Francisco Chronicle to list five parks primarily in Northern California that offered really good wheelchair access; in case you missed the article you can view it here. It was extremely difficult to narrow it down to five because there are lots of great parks that offer a variety of experiences and levels of accessibility. I chose these parks because they offered a wide range of features and one could spend several hours there, if not overnight. To locate more accessible parks and trails check out the Access Northern California website.

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Access Improvements at Albany Shoreline

By Bonnie Lewkowicz on February 7, 2019 No Comments

A major Beach Restoration and Public Access project has transformed Albany Beach into a lovely spot to watch a sunset, have a picnic, or hang out with your dog on the beach. Disabled access improvements include, new accessible restrooms and picnic tables, and two short boardwalks on the upper portion of the beach. The boardwalks don’t get you close to the water but the view is nice from them and BORP is reaching out to East Bay Parks to request that they acquire a beach wheelchair which would make the beach more accessible.

New boardwalk at Albany Beach

Surrounding trails at the Albany Bulb offer some access although the dirt trails can be muddy during the rainy season; a paved trail alongside Buchanan St. has a few bird viewing decks. Phase 3 of the project will result in a 1-mile shoreline extension of the San Francisco Bay Trail between Albany Beach and Gilman Street. Once completed in late 2019, cyclists and pedestrians will no longer need to traverse the steep hills of the racetrack to connect from Gilman St. to Buchanan St. This will be a welcome change for BORP cyclists.

The disabled parking spaces closest to the beach aren’t great but better ones are along Buchanan St. before you reach the beach. New parking is also planned for Phase 3. Click here to view a map and construction update.

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Wildflower Season

By Bonnie Lewkowicz on April 16, 2018 No Comments

Purple and yellow wildflowers blooming with the California coast visible behind themYou might be thinking enough already with the rain but the wildflowers are saying bring it on.  It’s that time of year when people flock outdoors in search of the best places to see wildflowers. With our late rains, this year could prove to be dazzling. While I have not yet been in search of them this year I have in past years found that both Sunol Regional Wilderness in Sunol and Mori Point in Pacifica have been good choices for wildflower viewing. The Camp Ohlone Road trail at Sunol is hilly and for a manual chair user would require good upper body strength. The surface is aggregate with firm underlayment. Mori Point is flat and easy. Both places have accessible restrooms and parking.

If you’d prefer seeing the wildflowers from a moving vehicle you might want to head over to Niles and board the Niles Canyon Railway Wildflower train. This diesel powered locomotive travels through Nile Canyon and leaves from either Sunol or Niles, every Sunday, several times a day. Fare is $14 for adults, $8 for youth ages 3-12. A wheelchair lift is available for boarding and accessible restrooms are at both boarding points.

Categories : Access Northern California, adventures-and-outings, BORP General Interest
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Accessible Rest Stops in California

By Bonnie Lewkowicz on January 19, 2018 2 Comments

Rest Area Road SignThere’s a good chance that if you’ve ever taken a road trip on a California Highway that you have been in need of a restroom, possibly even an accessible restroom. It’s doubtful that your GPS or Google will tell you which ones are accessible, but did you know that CalTrans will? The next time nature calls use this handy website to locate an accessible restroom. It will also let you know which stops are closed but at this time, unfortunately, it won’t tell you which ones are clean.

 

Categories : Access Northern California, adventures-and-outings
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Camping Options Increasing

By Bonnie Lewkowicz on July 26, 2017 No Comments

Cabin at Clear Lake State Park

Cabin at Clear Lake State Park

For those that enjoy camping in Northern California but no longer want to or can’t sleep on the ground, there’s good news. Rustic cabins are popping up at State and local parks. The newer cabins being installed are fairly similar in design and amenities so you mostly know what to expect from site to site. The unfurnished cabins typically sleep 4-6 in platform beds (some bunk beds), and you must bring your own bedding and in some instances mattress pads. There’s no kitchen or cooking inside the cabin, but outside you’ll find a barbecue, fire pit, and picnic table. Many are equipped with electricity, heaters, and lights, and some even have cooling fans. Rates range from $60-$100. Disabled discount passes generally don’t apply.

Here is just a sampling

North Coast: Patrick’s Point State Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

Clear Lake: Clear Lake State Park

Shasta: MacArthur Burney Falls State Park

Bay Area: Samual P. Taylor State Park and Spring Lake Regional Park in Santa Rosa. One is  coming this fall at Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore.

 

Categories : Access Northern California, adventures-and-outings, BORP General Interest, Uncategorized
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Access National and State Parks

By Bonnie Lewkowicz on February 18, 2017 No Comments

Discount Park Passes

Both California and National Parks offer a disabled discount pass to qualified individuals. Sign up today to enjoy their benefits.

NPS Access Pass

Picture of NPS Access Pass

National Parks Pass

The Access Pass is a free, lifetime pass available to United States citizens or permanent residents that have a permanent disability. It can be used at over 2,000 Federal recreation sites

National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and many National Forest lands. The pass provides free entry and may provide a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services. You may obtain it in person at a Federal Recreation site or through the mail using this form. https://store.usgs.gov/pass/access_pass_application.pdf (for some reason the imbedded link doesn’t work for me)

There is a $10 processing fee to obtain it through the mail. You will need acceptable documentation proving you are a resident and have a permanent disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. For more details visit their website.

State Parks Pass

For persons with permanent disabilities, the disabled discount pass ($3.50 application fee) entitles the bearer to a 50% discount for vehicle day use, family camping, and boat use fees at California State Park operated units. Applications may be mailed, or obtained in person through most district offices (call in advance to ensure availability) and at the park pass sales office in Sacramento. Download the application. Go to the State Parks website to see what documentation is required.

Categories : adventures-and-outings, BORP General Interest
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