Everything You Need to Know Before Hiking Half Dome

So you’ve decided you want to complete THE most epic hike in the United States?! Good for you. Here’s everything you need to know before hiking half dome in Yosemite National Park.

Hiking Half Dome: General Info

Distance and Elevation

• The hike is about 16 miles round trip
• 5192 feet of elevation
• About 10 hours duration for those with good physical fitness
• A permit is required to get onto Half Dome itself (see below)
• Link to All Trails: Half Dome Trail – California | AllTrails

How to Get the Permit

• A permit is required to climb the last 400 feet to the top of Half Dome using the cables. The cables are up from the Friday before Memorial Day until the day after Columbus Day. Permits found here: Half Dome Permits for Day Hikers – Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) and is done by lottery
• To hike to Sub Dome (the area just below Half Dome) and do the entire hike except for the cables, there is no permit required (DO THIS IF YOU CAN’T GET A PERMIT – the hike is amazing even without going to the very top)
• You can also take this trail to Cloud’s Rest and back for a 20 mile total hike. About 2 miles from the top of Half Dome you’ll see signs for Cloud’s Rest. Follow these signs. You will be able to see Half Dome from the top of Cloud’s Rest which is actually about 1000 feet taller
• Park Rangers will ask you for your permit at Sub Dome and will not let you pass without one. Strictly enforced

Hiking Half Dome: Tips

Parking

• Secure a spot in the parking lot next to the trail head EARLY. We got there at 4am and ate breakfast in the parking lot as we got all of our gear together
• Parking lot for the hike is at Happy Isles Trailhead
• If you can get a campsite at Upper Pines Campground, parking won’t be a worry as this campsite is directly across from the trail head
• Start the hike as early as possible for lower temperatures, less crowd, and to make sure you’re done before dark

What to Bring/Wear

• Bring lots of water! I recommend bringing 5-6 liters. We each brought camel-backs with 3L of water and ran out before we even started out trek down from the top
• The last water filling station on the trail is about 1 mile from the start
• About 4-5 miles in you’ll walk past a river where you can refill your water if you have a water filtering system
• Bring high calorie snacks and bring lunch but make sure to have everything packed in bear containers. Remember to pack in and pack out
• Dress for the weather but I recommend layers. The hike is steep and strenuous and you may find yourself wanting to shed some clothing as you get hiking
• You’ll need gloves for holding onto the cables otherwise they will cause blisters. There is a pile of gloves at the base of sub dome that people have left for others to borrow. This is what we used and we could not have done the cables without them
• Bring toilet paper. It’s a long hike. Again, pack in and pack out.

Other Tips

• Take breaks and photos on the way up. I recommend taking breaks at each of the waterfalls and then taking a lunch break at Sub Dome before hiking up the cables
• Have food for dinner ready for when you are done. The Park store in Yosemite closes at 5pm and there is no guaranteeing you will finish the hike by then and you will be very hangry if you don’t have dinner after this one
• Have fun!! This is the most beautiful and rewarding hike I have ever done

The Route

The main sections of the trail on the way up are:

The First 7 Miles

1. First, ascent 1 steep mile up to Vernal Falls
2. Next, climb 2 steep miles up to Nevada Falls
3. Afterwards, the trail flattens out for about a mile as you walk through the woods and come up to the river on your right as well as Little Yosemite Campground (different permits required to camp here)
4. The trail then becomes steep again as you hike switchbacks through Redwood trees until about 7 miles in when you reach a break in the trees and start being able to see the little dots of people climbing up Half Dome from afar. Here you’ll find countless areas to enjoy beautiful views of the valley below

Sub Dome/ Half Dome Ascent and Descent

1. When you get to the base of sub dome, where the ranger will check your permits, and where all of the gloves are on the ground available to be borrowed, you have a steep climb up sub dome to the base of half dome. This area is not very technical as the rock has steps carved into the stone that you can walk up- they are just very steep. The steps are so steep it’s sort of dizzying. We chose to sit down and enjoy lunch near the base of sub dome to get our energy levels up before climbing sub dome’s steep steps and then ascending half dome’s cables
2. From here, you will climb up Half Dome using the cables. This is extremely steep and most of the time I felt like I was pulling myself up using my arms, The climb is 400 feet total and the cables allow you to do this without any climbing equipment at all; although, some people did clip onto the cables for extra safety. It looks way scarier than it is. You can do it!! The views at the top are amazing
3. The hike down goes by quickly and we were back to the bottom in 2-3 hours

Enjoy Yosemite!! Cheers! – Alanna

Check out the rest of our California road trip: The Ultimate PCH Road Trip: San Diego to Lake Tahoe | All the Way Alanna