Solo travel is a life-changing experience, teaching fundamentals of planning trips— from hotel, flight, and train booking to picking the best restaurants and making detailed itineraries, each task requires to be done independently. It becomes a tougher challenge for disabled travelers who want to explore picturesque mountain ranges, beautiful blue seas, or city skyscrapers without a companion.
As per the Behavioral Risk Surveillance System or BRFSS, approximately 70 million American citizens have a disability in 2022, making it around 20% of the whole population. Hence, one in every five Americans deals with it. Although traveling solo as a disabled individual is arduous, the physical challenges do not stop the mental toughness. The booming travel industry of the United States comes across disabled travelers across various locations, both nationally and internationally.
Take a look at the friendliest places to do disabled solo travel in the USA.
1) Seattle, Washington
Seattle is one of the most public transportation-friendly cities in the United States, offering light rail, which is a semi-metro network, streetcars, and buses. Moreover, it is one of the best walkable cities in the country, and the top attractions are well-connected by the road. These accessible qualities make it a great destination for single disabled tourists. Taking a wheelchair on the sidewalk or boarding any of the public transportation options is convenient for exploring the city. Kerry Park, Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Museum of Pop Culture, and The Seattle Great Wheel are the foremost city destinations.
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2) Grand Canyon, Arizona
Located in Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park is one of the well-known gateways in the United States. As a renowned tourist-friendly place, the canyon is accessible for wheelchair users, offering different types of facilities for disabled people. Shuttle buses prefer transportation mode in the canyon if you do not bring a car, and every shuttle bus is wheelchair friendly. At the entrance of the Grand Canyon, you can get a scenic drive-accessible permit, which enables you to see the natural wonders within the Grand Canyon that most people can’t do without the permit. Besides the vehicle tour, the national park has an accessible air tour option. Each sightseeing flight has wheelchair accommodation, and you can make your trip memorable with a bird’s eye view. Moreover, rented wheelchairs are available from Bright Angel Bicycles at the Grand Canyon.
3) Arches National Park, Utah
Utah is among the most scenic States in the United States, offering different landscapes. It is an ideal place for nature lovers, boasting red rocky mountains, a panoramic desert, and breathtaking blue lakes. Arches National Park is among the most visited scenic places in the country, showing the natural beauty the western state offers. For people with mobility issues, this park is easily reachable. The entire national park can be explored by sitting in your car’s comfort. While traveling in a vehicle, you can stop at certain places to enjoy the incredible views of the red mountains. Although hiking is an option for a disabled solo tourist, the Arches National Park’s majestic landscape is enjoyable from the road, sitting in the car’s conform, making it one of the best-picked places for disabled solo travel in the USA. Landmarks such as the Partition Arch, Delicate Arch, and Wolfe Ranch Rock Art are visible from a car drive, and the park also gives parking options.
4) San Diego, California
Do you want to experience the ocean breeze and relax on the beach while getting lost in the roar of the Pacific Ocean? San Diego is your place to be, where the beaches offer sand-accessible beach wheelchairs personalized for disabled travelers. Being a disabled solo tourist, you can rent a sand-accessible beach wheelchair and see the gorgeous shores of San Diego, where you might be able to go near the water. Beach shores like La Jolla Shores and Mission Beach have ADA-compliant boardwalks, making the city perfect for disabled people to wander around in wheelchairs. Moreover, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, or MTS has buses and light rails with ramps to take wheelchairs. Taking a city tour in a wheelchair in San Diego MTS is a flexible choice.
5) Denver, Colorado
Denver is a paradise for adventure seekers with a perfect blend of city life with nature. Following a hue and cry about the lack of facilities for wheelchair-bound people in the transport system back in 1978, the city has seen a significant shift in infrastructure and public transportation, making it one of the most disabled-friendly places in the United States today. Situated near the Rocky Mountains, Denver’s scenic view is unmatchable. Even though it is adjacent to the mountains, the roads are wide and flat, meaning a solo disabled person can seamlessly access the downtown and the other parts of the city in a wheelchair. The city’s downtown is well-connected to the airport by trains, which are often ridden by people with limited mobility. Additionally, the city offers rental vans specially designed for disabled people. A company like Wheelchair Gateways of Colorado is a popular choice to rent the vans. Their light rails and buses have wide options for tourists with accessibility needs to make your journey worth remembering.
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