Pleasanton, California Accessible Trails

Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail

In Pleasanton, California, on the east side of the San Francisco Bay, is a park called the Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail and it has a great trail for a manual wheelchair user to get a good workout or a beautiful stroll for any power wheelchair user.

The trail runs about 2.5 miles and is flat except for two large dips, which are not that bad if one approaches them with speed. Along the quiet trail are all sorts of wildlife and plants native to the area. There is no restroom or drinking fountain along the way, so use the accessible facilities at the beginning of the trail if needed and bring a water bottle.

So, if you are a nature lover and planning to be in the area then spend some time in the fresh air on the Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail. To get there exit Bernal in Pleasanton off 680 and head west towards the hill. Almost immediately after exiting the park will be on your left-hand side.

Alviso Adobe Community Park

For those living in the Tri-Valley of the East Bay Area, you’ve likely driven on Foothill Road. This road has a lot of history for the town of Pleasanton, especially Old Foothill Road where the Alviso Adobe Community Park opened in 2008. Starting with the handicapped parking down to the restrooms, this park is a great wheelchair friendly destination

Along the path that meanders up to the top of the park where the museum is located are historical facts about the very land you are standing on, including information on the Ohlone Native Americans. Furthermore, all the plant life in the park was carefully selected to be native to this California area and some signs name and explain them.

There are two ways to make it up to the museum, but the one to the left is at a reasonable incline and width for a wheelchair traveler. Once at the top, you’ll have full access to the Meadow Lark Dairy Museum on your right as well as the replicated home of the early settlers of Pleasanton.

The museum is easily accessed and also has a restroom right before the entrance. The part of the museum that is a replica of a frontiersman’s home is also wheelchair accessible. There is a ramp to get up to the bedroom and living room and simply go back down the ramp and around the right corner of the house to see the kitchen and dining room. The barn adjacent to the home is also wheelchair accessible; you can roll right up to it.