Tuttletown Recreation Area–Manzanita Campground

   Manzanita Campground should be on the shoreline of New Melones Lake but, like all the lakes in California, Melones is showing the effects of the drought and the water level is very low. At the time of our visit most of the campgrounds in Tuttletown Recreation Area were still closed for the season and, except for the host and one other RV, Manzanita Campground was empty. None of the sites have electricity and the dump station is not free for campers.

  The campground is built on a steep hill and many of the sites are just a parking area along the road with the table and camp area accessed by steps.  The accessible sites have a paved parking pad and fine gravel for the camp area which includes a table with an extended top and a fire ring with high sides. Most are close to a restroom. The site pictured above (# 92) has a paved path to the restroom and is next to the sign-in board and dumpsters.  The parking area is fairly level but since the road is one way the entry door of your RV will open to the road instead of the camp area.  Campground
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Columbia State Historic Park

  After gold was discovered in 1850 Columbia grew rapidly becoming one of the largest cities in California with a population of over 25,000. The boom lasted for less than 20 years. As the town settled into a decline, miners tore down vacant buildings and began digging up the town lots creating depressions with limestone outcroppings which are now grassy parks.
       
   Like most early towns in the US, Columbia experienced several fires. Main Street was rebuilt after the fire of 1854 using locally produced red brick. These buildings are still standing forming the nucleus of the state park, and the state’s largest collection of gold rush era structures, which includes over 50 buildings and exhibits. About half of the buildings house restaurants and shops, the rest have exhibits depicting the gold rush era.

  Main Street is closed to traffic so it’s possible to walk/roll down the middle of the street. The sidewalks are elevated boardwalk. Most of the entrances to the buildings are level with the boardwalk. Ramps from the street to the boardwalk provide access but the boardwalk has steps at places so backtracking is sometimes necessary. The Columbia Museum and most of the buildings on Main Street that have exhibits inside are accessible.


The parking lot on the south end of town at the intersection of Parrotts Ferry Road and Columbia Street is large enough for RVs if parked across the spaces. Getting to town from this lot requires climbing a steep hill so anyone with physical limitations should continue driving up the hill and park in one of the lots on the top of the hill or along a side street.   Park
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Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

      
  Railtown preserves the roundhouse, machine shops, turntable and freight shed, built in the late 1880s to service the short line rail link between the lumber, mining and farming communities in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and the expanding cities of Sacramento and San Francisco. Much of the equipment, engines and cars are original to the site including locomotive # 3 which started life as a lowly freight engine but ended up as a star appearing in dozens of movies, television shows and commercials.

  Visitors may take a self guided tour of the grounds and view the roundhouse and trains from the doorways. I recommended taking a guided tour which provides access into the roundhouse and an opportunity to ask questions. Short train rides are available for an additional fee.

   The site is fairly accessible but wheelchair users may need some help because of uneven ground and rail tracks. We did not take the train ride but I believe that it is accessible.

   For the best parking spots follow 5th Ave. and go straight into the lot. This lot is small and it may fill but it’s level and has accessible spaces near the depot and admissions booth. More parking is located along Sierra Ave.    Park
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Yosemite National Park

  Yosemite Valley is almost completely flat which makes it perfect for walking and cycling. To promote this twelve miles of paved trails encircle the valley, leading to most of the attractions. Nineteen bus stops provide access to free, wheelchair accessible shuttles so there’s always a shuttle stop nearby if you get tired. We really enjoyed the paths and walked/rolled everywhere for four days.

  An accessibility guide for the park is available for downloading. It’s very accurate. We went to the visitor center, the museum and the bottom floor of the historic Ahwahnee Hotel in the valley– all are completely accessible. The trail to Indian Village of Ahwahnee is paved and the area around the village is hard packed dirt. The paved trail to view the Lower Yosemite Falls is accessible in one direction. The complete loop has one short, steep section. The paved trail to Mirror Lake is accessible. To get the best view follow the sandy path for a short distance. The trails at Happy Isles are a combination of pavement and hard packed dirt and are all accessible. The flat terrain and paved trails makes the valley one of the most accessible parks that we’ve visited.



  The trails at the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias near Wawona are not accessible but it’s possible to go a short way on the tram road. The whole area will be closed for 24 months and an accessible trail is in the plans. The Pioneer Yosemite History Center consists of relocated historic buildings with informative signs at each. The area is hard packed dirt and fairly accessible. Paved trails lead around the historic Wawona Hotel buildings which also have informative signs.

  Easy access and close proximity to San Francisco makes Yosemite the third most visited national park in the country so if you want to camp in the valley a little advanced planning is necessary, however you may find a campsite by checking with recreation.gov to see if there have been any cancellations. We managed to get three nights in the valley at Lower Pines Campground (#18) and one night at Wawona Campground (#70) near the south entrance by checking just a few days before our arrival at the park. Both of our sites were accessible with wide, flat, paved parking pads and hard packed sand around the table, fire ring and bear box.  Paved paths provided access to the restrooms. The site in Lower Pines is located along the river with beautiful views of the mountains. These are some of the nicest accessible sites that we’ve found and the campgrounds are both very pretty with roomy sites and good spacing between the sites.

   All of the roads were not cleared of snow yet so our visit included the valley and Wawona but none of the other areas. In the valley walking or taking the shuttle buses are better options than driving because parking is limited especially for RVs. The accessible parking spots at Mirror Lake and Happy Isles are not long enough for any vehicle over 25’.   Park
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   For more information about wheelchair access at Yosemite check this site – Wheelchairtraveling

Yosemite!

  We managed to get three nights at this beautiful campground and one in Wawona which is hard to do since all of the campgrounds in the park book up early.  More in a few days after we’re done exploring!

Table Mountain Casino

  The paved lot is small with only one exit/entrance opened so, unless you have a very small RV or van, park with the buses by turning onto the road just west of the paved lot. The graveled bus lot is very sloped. If there aren’t any barriers on the road past the bus lot follow that road up the hill for an additional lot – above picture- which is also very sloped but not quite as bad as the bus lot.

  The casino has escalators to the front entrance. Pass them to access a long ramp to the entrance. The chairs are fairly easy to move and most of the money and ticket slots are easy to reach. Casino
36.98491, -119.64231

Woodward Park Japanese Garden & Lewis S. Eaton Trail

  The Japanese garden is very small but meticulously maintained. It’s a popular setting for wedding and Quincineras photographs so weekends may be crowded. The main paths are paved and wheelchair accessible.

  The Lewis S. Eaton Trail, which runs through the park, is wide and smooth with gradual slopes.

  The $5.00 parking fee is waived for visitors with a valid disabled placard however a small fee is charged to enter the Japanese garden. The garden parking lot is too small for RVs but parking is available on the opposite side of the street. There isn’t a sidewalk so rolling along the street for a short distance is necessary. For easy access to the Lewis S. Eaton Trail park in the River Overlook parking area at the north end of the park.  Garden    Trail
36.87229, -119.78132

Kings Canyon National Park

  King Canyon National Park protects the Grant Grove sequoia trees and also Kings Canyon, a deep glacier and water carved canyon that cuts through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The road that provides access to Kings Canyon is opened for just a short distance in the winter months. Azalea Campground is opened and the trees in Grant Grove can be viewed. It’s also possible to drive along Generals Highway all the way to Sequoia National Park. The road is kept clear of snow but check before going. Carrying chains may be required.  Vehicles over 22’ are not recommended on the section between Giant Forest Museum and Potwisha Campground. Starting on May 21 free, wheelchair accessible shuttle buses run between Dorst Campground and Potwisha Campground so the park is accessible for everyone. Gas up before entering the park because no gas is sold in the park.

  With the restrictions, road closures and cold weather we decided to just make a short trip into the park to see Grant Grove. A 1/2 mile paved trail loops around same of the largest trees including General Grant. Wheelchair users may need to have help due to  steep grades. The visitor center, which is accessible, has a good film about the park and a small section of exhibits.
 

  Most of the sites in Azalea Campground are on the small side and not very level. The accessible site is located next to the restrooms and has a table with an extended top and a fire pit with high sides.

  Grants Grove has a parking lot for buses and RVs. The visitor center has a few bus and RV spaces but the lot is small so there may be no parking for large vehicles in the busy season.  Park
36.71695, -118.96919

Island Park Campground

   The scenery at this campground is gorgeous despite the very troubling level of the lake due to four years of drought. The road to the lake travels through miles of farmland which is all irrigated and freshly green. Since fifty percent of our fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown in California a good winter snowfall is important but this was another sparse year.

  The beautiful setting of the campground does not make up for it’s  poor design. Most of the sites are not level and many are just parking spaces with the tables located up a series of steps. The sites are very close together. Some spurs dead end without a place to turn around. The accessible site, which is located close to a restroom, has a parking spot along the side of the road and a ramp to the picnic table and fire pit.

We did not use the accessible site but camped in the treeless, non-electric section which has good views and long parking pads.

   While I would not recommend this campground for any RV longer than around 30 feet, a large class A and a long fifth wheel did manage to maneuver themselves into the spaces. They seemed to know exactly where they could fit but neither looked very level. Some of the bends may be tight for large RVs. The short hill down to the campground is steep.  Campground
36.86359, -119.31315