I've heard that the steps on the Great Wall are quite steep. Can bad knees handle the tour?

Not recommended. In fact, don't even think of it.

There are several places near Beijing to access the Wall. You do not mention which one you plan to visit. Badaling? Mutianyu?

Thanks for feedback - I don't know where we access the Great Wall. Itinerary just says Temple of Heaven in the morning, then tour bus excursion to Great Wall. Am I missing a whole lot by looking at it instead of climbing it?

i certainly would go out and see it...not doing so would be a mistake....you might even be able to climb just to the first platform

part of the problem we found were that the steps were of uneven heights which made it more difficult..

There is a chinese saying something like -- you are not a good, tough guy unless you've been to the Great Wall (bu dao chang chen fei hao han), at least you can get a pic of yourself at the foot of the wall.

Thank you everyone - I'll for sure go see it and give the climbing a try!

Californialindy,

There are cable cars now at almost all of the renovated Great Wall sites so you can take that up and then hike along the wall--there are still some steep areas, but you can hike as far as you are comfortable. Then you can take the cable car down or, Simatai has a zip line, Mutianyu has an alpine slide, which are both fun.

I was on a similar tour as yours back in 1994. I made it from the entry gate up to the first tower on the left on crutches. You can do it.

Bisbee, thank you for your encouragement! You are a bright and shining light!