Yosemite National Park for the differently-abled

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/.

I have been to and through Yosemite several times. I have never hiked there. The Tuolumne Meadow is easy to get out on. Just looking at the place is plenty wonderful. I spent a night there in a tent, my dog scared away the bear. I washed my hair in the coldest October water you can imagine the next day. Yosemite is unbelievably beautiful just from a car.

Have you seen the http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/access.pdf? Loads of info there that might be helpful, if you haven't already seen it.

(Can I just ask what "walking spoons" are?)

I'm in Yosemite every two weeks or so. Sometimes climbing, sometimes hiking, sometimes just sitting on my ass at the beach. There's a reason every scenic overlook is full of people - it's spectacularly beautiful even from the edge of the road. Tunnel view, Glacier Point, the valley loop, Tuolumne Meadows all have amazing things to see. Tenaya lake in Tuolumne is the perfect spot to just sit down and enjoy the high country. Mono lake is worth a detour if you've already gone up to Tuolumne - compared to Yosemite it's like visiting the moon.

I've been a couple of times, and though I'm fit and regularly go on long mountain walks, I've never yet done a big walk in Yosemite, as it is just jaw-droppingly beautiful from pretty much anywhere. The first time I went, we drove around the loop, just stopping at points that looked interesting, and found that a fifteen minute walk will of get you to an amazing river beach or meadow with no-one around. I imagine it would be a great place for mixed groups as the fitter people could go off on longer walks and those who preferred not to could happily base themselves in a nice spot. Also a lot of the longer walks are often best done in the early morning because of the heat, so one group could enjoy a leisurely breakfast and a relaxing morning while the other group set off at 5 am for half dome. But you certainly won't miss out by not walking much. I honestly think that just enjoying the valley bottom meadows and river beaches is the best bit (plus Glacier Point). It's impossible to convey its scale and beauty in photos, I found that I didn really want to move much anyway, just to soak it in. Have a wonderful time!

I went to Yosemite (years ago) with someone who could barely walk due to arthritus. We had more than enough to do. You can waste hours just watching other people slowly climb giant cliffs, especially if the weather's nice. I found a website that had tips for a two day trip through the park, and we pretty much did that minus any walking. It was quite similar to http://campingatyosemite.com/yosemite_two_day_itinerary.htm, which has three walks, a 1 and a half hour hike and two short walks. Also some rafting, which may not be something you want to do.

I stand corrected! Apparently there are a bunch in the park now, and I wish I had known that on our desperate flight down the valley trying to conserve the last of our gas.

A note on cars: there's no gas station in the park, so make sure you have enough in your tank to get back to the one outside the boundaries of the park. There's one at Crane Flat, which may not be totally on your most direct route, but is fairly close to the Valley on the west side of the park. If you're staying in the Valley, but do a road trip up to Tuolumne, you'll pass right by it. There's also one up in Tuolumne. Quite a few trails in the Valley are paved, like the one from the village to the base of Yosemite Falls, and they're mostly pretty flat. You can take the tram around and stop off at whatever thing you want to see and not be too terribly far away from it. Supposedly, the trail from Happy Isles to the bridge below Vernal Falls is accessible, but there's quite a bit of up to it.