Half Dome

Half Dome rises to 8,842 feet in Yosemite National Park, California, and is one of the most iconic and demanding day hikes in the Sierra Nevada. The standard route departs from Happy Isles Nature Center in Yosemite Valley and follows the John Muir Trail before diverging at the base of the dome. The trailhead sits at approximately 4,000 feet elevation, and the summit requires roughly 4,800 feet of total elevation gain over 14 to 16 miles round trip.

The hike begins on a well-maintained paved path alongside the Merced River before transitioning to rocky dirt trail as it passes Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. From Nevada Fall junction, the route enters Little Yosemite Valley, a broad forested corridor with designated camping areas. Beyond this point, the trail narrows and the ascent to the subdome begins — a relentless granite staircase gaining 600 feet in under a mile.

The summit approach's most distinctive feature is the Half Dome cables: a pair of steel cables bolted into the near-vertical granite headwall, which rises at approximately 45 to 60 degrees. Hikers grip the cables with gloves and use wooden foot rests placed at intervals. Permits are required for the cables section, issued by lottery through Recreation.gov in advance and as a small daily walk-up allocation. Demand is extremely high from late spring through summer.

Above the cables, the summit plateau opens to 360-degree panoramas of Yosemite Valley, the Clark Range, and distant Sierra Nevada peaks. Water is available from the Merced River early in the trail and near Little Yosemite Valley, but no source exists above Nevada Fall. Trail surface transitions from paved walkway to granite slabs and loose scree as elevation increases. Shade diminishes above treeline, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, making an early start essential. The exposed cables section becomes extremely hazardous in wet or lightning conditions.