Hello! My husband and I and our 13-year-old son are going to Yosemite for three days next week! We are very excited! They are in better shape than I am. They love the mountains and I'm an ocean person, but we all love hiking and being out in nature. We would like to take some great hikes (not too strenuous) and avoid crowds as much as possible. We are staying at YVL for three nights. I'd like to see Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point/Panorama Trail, the Tuolumne Meadows area. My son wants to climb a dome or two. We want to see as much as possible without exhausting ourselves by running around the entire time. I have been accused in the past of "planning too much." We will get there on a Wednesday (driving from the Oakland area) and leave on Saturday. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Some questions I have are:

Since we will have at most half of a day that first day, what should we do?
What hike do you recommend in the Tuolumne area?
What are the sights we will see on the one-way Glacier Point bus tour?
Would it be too much to hike Mariposa Grove, Sentinel Dome and Taft Point in the same day?
Is the little float trip down the Merced a fun thing to do?
Are there any good vegetarian restaurants going into or coming out of the park?

>>and avoid crowds as much as possible>My son wants to climb a dome or two.>What hike do you recommend in the Tuolumne area?>Would it be too much to hike Mariposa Grove Sentinel Dome and Taft Point in the same day?

Depending on what time you arrive that first day, I'd consider renting bikes and exploring the Valley area. During the summer, the shuttles can get overcrowded, and a hassle if you have to wait for the next one. But even if they're not full, bikes are a great way to explore the Valley. It's a lot of fun, and you can stop whenever you want to do a hike.

Thank you! That is very helpful. I think you are probably right that we should take it easy at the high elevations. I'll be happy if I can see a pretty lake and some wildflowers. Also, I hadn't realized that so much driving would be involved if we went to Mariposa Grove and Sentinel Dome in the same day. We definitely don't want to spend that much time in the car. I think we will try to hit Mariposa Grove early on our last day before we leave the park.
Biking sounds like a nice way to check out the valley. I hope it doesn't take us three hours just to get into the park so that we can get there and start exploring.

Seeing Mariposa Grove on your last day in the park IF you are leaving the park via the south entrance makes sense. Be sure to stop at the viewpoint just north of the tunnel for a great view of Half Dome and the rest of the "Valley".

>>I hadn't realized that so much driving would be involved if we went to Mariposa Grove and Sentinel Dome in the same day.

One of my favorite hikes is the Vernal Falls/Nevada Falls hike. It is very popular but brings you to beautiful waterfalls. It is considered a strenuous hike but most people are able to do it without much difficulty. Just take your time and bring water, sunscreen and a hat. You can just go as far as Vernal Falls, if you like, and decide then whether or not to continue along to Nevada Falls. The "mist trail" is so named because mist from the Nevada Falls cools you off (depending on how full the falls are) as you hike up to those falls.

Yosemite can be very crowded during the summer but you can get away from the crowds, even on the valley floor, by taking even just a short walk away from the main visitor sites. It is one of our family's favorite places. Enjoy!