Exploring the National Parks of America on a broken leg

Guest blog written by Jojo Adams

  I’ll never forget the look on my consultants face after I told him I was due to fly out to America in a months time after having a plate and numerous amounts of screws inserted in my right leg to hold it together. I’d suffered a trimalleolar fracture following a stupendous fall off a horse 3 days previous and my impending 11 hour direct flight was causing concern. We compromised on a prolonged period of anticoagulants, a back slab cast and a promise I’d be super careful!

  After flying into San Francisco and exploring for a couple of days we picked up our camper van from Freedom America and headed towards Yosemite National Park. We drove in via Groveland amongst beautiful mountains with winding roads and peaceful pockets of water. Plenty of stops for photo and picnic opportunities. Due to my immobility, we were restricted on how much we could explore – or so we thought. Although hiking up Half Dome was completely out of the question the National Park offers a Valley Floor Tour on an open-air tram which lasts a couple of hours. Led by park rangers you learn all about the park and its interesting history as well as being able to see some of the highlights. The majority of the hard surfaces around the Valley are flat and smooth making it easy to get about in a wheelchair including the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail which is a short loop with views of both Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. We only spent a couple of days here before heading to Lee Vining en route to Las Vegas.

  Grand Canyon National Park was our destination after Las Vegas and it didn’t disappoint. The disabled access of the Grand Canyon was by far the best out of the four National Parks I visited. Flat and smooth pavements wind through the park with regular shuttle bus services around the park, from Desert View to Hermits Rest along the South Rim allowing for easy access to trailheads and spectacular views. We decided to catch a 5am shuttle bus to the Visitor Centre and then wheeled to Mather Point for the sunrise. They also offer this service in the evenings for the sunset along with pizza and beer! Similarly to Yosemite National Park there are numerous trails and hikes and informative tours explaining the history and wildlife in the park.

A last minute decision on our trip was to drop into Zion National Park for a few days and I’m so glad we did. It’s the hidden gem of Southern Utah in which you are greeted by towering red and tan coloured canyon walls made up of Navajo Sandstone. We stayed in South Campground which was fantastic for its easy access to trails and the bus station to travel further afield. The campsite also had WIFI which was great for catching up with people back home and helping to plan our activities during our stay. There are some fantastic hikes around Zion National Park and we managed to roll about a third of the way up the Virgin Riverside Walk before it became too steep and difficult for the wheelchair. Luckily there are so many picturesque spots to stop off at and catch your breath and this is where I met an extremely friendly squirrel who took a particular liking to my tangerine. There is also another very disabled friendly trail called the Parus Trail which is primarily a bike trail meaning it is relatively flat and paved for easy strolling.

  We ended our Western-America adventure in Salt Lake City before flying up to Calgary for the Stampede – a must visit for any rodeo/cowboy/country lovers out there. After visiting some Canadian friends we headed back down over the border into America with a couple of stops in Montana en route to Yellowstone National Park.

  We entered Yellowstone National Park via Gardiner which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone to visit and have dinner at the Iron Horse Bar and Grille. Driving through the park you are surrounded by dense forests and winding rivers. Similarly to the other National Parks there are plenty of pull-in points to ensure you capture the most scenic views and have every chance to spot the wildlife. Our first stop was the Mammoth Hot Springs which are surrounded by decking and lots and lots of stairs so I ditched the wheelchair, grabbed my crutches and tackled each step being rewarded by lovely sights and some history into how the Springs were formed. After the Springs we headed to Yellowstone Lake Hotel on the Grand Loop Road which runs through the park and is a fantastic route for spotting wild buffalos. We were told on one of our mornings that there had been a grizzly bear sighting but sadly we were not lucky enough to see one on our trip. We spent a lot of time driving around Yellowstone National Park but made sure we had some good food on board meant we could stop off anywhere and enjoy lunch or dinner with some of the best views in North America. We headed South to Grand Teton National Park where we stayed for an evening and got up early the following day to head out on a dawn wildlife safari from Jackson Hole where we saw plenty of wildlife including mule deers, songbirds and even a moose! An ideal activity when you have restricted mobility as you just grab a seat on board an open-air truck and get driven around the park. After our safari, we headed back to Jackson and jumped on the aerial tram which took us 10,000 feet in the air to the top of Rendezvous Mountain where you can enjoy some awesome world-famous waffles whilst you take in the stunning views and appreciate the very cool shack ski-décor! The tram is affectionately known as ‘Big Red’ and although I went up on my crutches it is very accessible with lifts and extremely friendly operators. Stunning views surround you even as you drive out of the park and you are reminded of the parks natural beauty.

  We ended our trip with a quick stay in Colorado before flying home to the UK. An unforgettable road trip and not only because my leg was in a cast when travelling in an RV is a great ice breaker!