About this permit
Half Dome is one of the most demanding day hikes in any National Park: a 14 to 17-mile round trip that climbs nearly 5,000 feet from the valley floor to the summit at 8,846 feet. The hike passes two of Yosemite's most spectacular waterfalls before ascending the granite shoulder of Half Dome itself.
The final 400 feet are ascended using steel cables bolted into the rock, allowing hikers to climb what would otherwise require technical rock-climbing gear. This cable section is only accessible when the cables are 'up,' typically from late May through mid-October.
The route
From Happy Isles, the trail splits into two paths that reunite above Nevada Fall. The Mist Trail is shorter but brutal: 600 granite stairs rising through the spray of Vernal Fall, each step more slippery than the last. The John Muir Trail switchbacks more gently, offering views of Liberty Cap's granite dome.
Above Nevada Fall, the forest closes in as you traverse Little Yosemite Valley. The crowds thin as you climb through silent pine forests toward the shoulder of Half Dome. Then the trees fall away, and you see it: the Sub Dome rising like a wall, and beyond it, the cables ascending into the sky.
The Sub Dome's steep switchbacks are merely a prelude. The cables themselves stretch 400 feet up polished granite at a 45-degree pitch. You grip cold steel, plant your feet on wooden planks, and pull. Pause. Breathe. Pull again. And then, suddenly, you're standing on top of the world.
Why it matters
Half Dome has been a symbol of Yosemite since the park's founding. Its distinctive shape, carved by glaciers over millions of years, has inspired artists, photographers, and adventurers for over 150 years. For many, summiting Half Dome represents a personal milestone and a connection to the wilderness vision of John Muir.
The feeling
The final ascent up the cables is unlike anything else in hiking. Your arms burn as you pull yourself up the 45-degree granite face, pausing at each wooden plank to catch your breath and steady your nerves. The exposure is intense: a sheer drop on either side with nothing but your grip and the steel cables between you and a very long fall. But when you crest the summit and step onto that broad granite dome, the entire Sierra stretches before you in an infinite sea of peaks and valleys.
