Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
47
www.azraft.com), both of which offer
Grand Canyon rafting trips for people
with disabilities. In the northwest corner
of the state,
Stagecoach Trails Guest
Ranch,
19985 S. Doc Holiday Rd. (P.O.
Box 580), Yucca, AZ 86438 (
&
866/444-
4471
or 928/727-8270; www.stagecoach
trailsranch.com), is a dude ranch designed
with the needs of persons with disabilities
in mind. All the ranch buildings are acces-
sible, and there are horseback riding pro-
grams for persons with disabilities.
The
Information Center for New
Mexicans with Disabilities
(
&
800/552-
8195
or 505/272-8549) accesses a data-
base with lists of services ranging from
restaurants and hotels to wheelchair rent-
als. It's a service of the
Developmental
Disabilities Planning Council
(
&
800/
311-2229
). The
Access New Mexico
guide
lists accessible hotels, attractions, and res-
taurants throughout the state. For more
information, contact the
Governor's
Commission on Disabilities,
491 Old
Santa Fe Trail, Lamy Building Room 117,
Santa Fe, NM 87503 (
&
505/827-6465;
www.gcd.state.nm.us).
The Utah information and referral line
for people with disabilities is
&
800/333-
8824;
or visit www.accessut.org.
The
America the Beautiful—National
Park and Federal Recreational Lands
Pass—Access Pass
(formerly the
Golden
Access Passport
) gives travelers with visual
impairments or those with permanent dis-
abilities (regardless of age) free lifetime
entrance to federal recreation sites admin-
istered by the National Park Service,
including the Fish and Wildlife Service,
the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land
Management, and the Bureau of Reclama-
tion. This may include national parks,
monuments, historic sites, recreation areas,
and national wildlife refuges.
The America the Beautiful Access Pass
can only be obtained in person at a
National Park Service facility that charges
an entrance fee, including Grand Canyon
National Park, Saguaro National Park,
Petrified Forest National Park, Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument, Montezuma
Castle National Monument, Wupatki
National Monument, Casa Grande Ruins
National Monument, Tonto National
Monument, Tumacácori National Monu-
ment, and a handful of others. You need to
show proof of a medically determined dis-
ability. Besides free entry, the pass also
offers a 50% discount on some federal-use
fees charged for such facilities as camping,
swimming, parking, boat launching, and
tours. For more information, go to www.
nps.gov/fees_passes.htm, or call the United
States Geological Survey (USGS), which
issues the passes, at
&
888/275-8747.
For more on organizations that offer
resources to travelers with disabilities, go
to frommers.com/planning.
FAMILY TRAVEL
With its robust mix of outdoorsy activities
and cultural attractions, the Southwest
lends itself to family vacations. That said,
the drives between the activities and attrac-
tions can be rather long, and they don't
always lead to the sort of juicy theme-park
treats that you find in other states. Sure,
you may stumble across a water park or a
video arcade here and there, but the real
attractions are the natural and cultural ones
and the adventurous ways you can experi-
ence them: hiking along the Grand Can-
yon, white-water rafting down the Rio
Grande, riding a horse through the cathe-
drals of Monument Valley, or climbing a
wooden ladder up to a cliff dwelling, to
name just a few.
If you're not traveling with an adven-
ture-oriented brood, don't worry. Many of
the hotels and resorts listed in this topic
have inviting pools around which you can
lounge, or on-site activities planned espe-
cially for kids. But keep in mind that the
Southwest can truly offer your children a
new perspective on life by exposing them
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