Half Dome: Hiking This Iconic Landmark

This challenging, but rewarding hike is one of our new favorites in Yosemite.  One of the parks most popular, and now requiring a permit for the final section, it offers beautiful views while ascending through Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. But our favorite part of the hike was the cable section during the final ascent up the side of Half Dome and the beautiful views of Yosemite from the top. 

We completed this hike for the first time on 8/15/21 with our friends Tyra and Caesar and are so happy to have such great memories to share with them.

Planning to hike Half dome?  Here is what to expect for your trip. 

Be sure to scroll to the very bottom if you want to see our video hiking up Half Dome.

Half Dome

Half Dome is an iconic landmark in Yosemite that stands 4800 feet above the Yosemite valley and a total ELEVATION of 8,800 feet.  Round trip we tracked in at just over 18 miles from the parking lot. The trails were well marked. As well as the cable section at the top. 

Hiking Permit

Unlike other hikes in Yosemite, to complete the final section and reach sub dome, as well as climb the cables, you must receive a permit.  Permits are required 7 days per week and awarded via lottery.  

Hiking Half Dome 

Below covers our trip completed up and back on the Mist Trail.

Distance: Approx 18 miles

Length of time: Range from 10-15 hours (we took our time at 15 hours)

Permit: Required 7 days a week. You can read more about the lottery system here at the recreation.gov website.

The Route

Vernal Falls

First up is the Mist Trail. Once you have parked, if you’re searching for bathrooms, about 1 mile into the hike there are flushable toilets (last chance for these) and your last location to fill water bottles. That is unless you plan to fill up from the river. (We did, but we used a filtration system). The national park website recommends 1 gallon of water minimum per individual person, if you are hiking to the top of Half Dome.

After crossing the bridge and filling up with water, you turn to a step section and staircase to the top of Vernal Falls. We went late in the season and there was no mist to be had. But if you go in Spring or mid Summer plan to get wet. There is a reason they call it the Mist Trail. 

Nevada Falls

There is a brief flat section after Vernal falls then more climbing through rock and staircases to a beautiful view of Nevada falls. At the top of Nevada Falls there is another set of bathrooms (not flushable, but still useful!)

If you take a short detour, you can see the top of Nevada falls, otherwise take a left and on towards Half Dome 

Nevada Falls to Sub Dome

Finally, a true flat section in the trail. This felt great after the few strenuous climbs so far, but be sure to enjoy and relax a little before sub dome. To the left, you get occasional views of Half Dome through the trees and on the right is a river flowing as you hike. That’s where we stopped to cool off and fill up with our filtration system. If you are interested in what system we used, click here to check it out on amazon. As you get closer, you can see tiny specs on the dome, climbers ascending the cables. 

Sub Dome 

Forget all the sections before this. At this point we encounter what seemed like never ending stairs. After hiking several miles, a few hours, and reaching near the summit above 8,000 feet, we were getting tired. 

Frequent rests were taken at this point in the hike, just to catch our breath then continue on. 

As you reach the top of Sub Dome, you get your first close up glimpse of the cables. Not to mention near 360 views of Yosemite valley. 

The Cables up Half Dome 

By this point, we had hiked somewhere between 5-6 hours. We took our time and enjoyed the scenery. Not to mention downed some snacks! 

Once you arrive at the cables, you realize it’s a little steeper and slicker than expected. We read blogs before the trip and also had advice from friends to get a harness. Out of safety we purchased one. Best investment ever! If you have even the slightest fear of falling, the harness definitely added that safety element. These are the closest we can find to the ones we purchased on amazon. Click here to check them out. You will also need the lanyard part as well. Click here for that.

While plenty of people ascend the cables without a harness, a few people turned around out of fear, and more than a handful of others said they wished they had thought of the harness. 

I can honestly say, if it wasn’t for the harness, my wife may have turned around at the cables. If you aren’t a big heights person, or just want to be safe, it’s worth the investment. 

Going up and down the cables can take a significant amount of time if there are a lot of people. Unfortunately, it was packed when we arrived. Having to wait, scoot over, and allow others to pass going the opposite direction is what takes time and can tire your grip on the cables. I would suggest gloves. While nearly no one had a harness, almost every single person had gloves on. 

In general, the surface is quite slick, and there are wood planks for support spaced throughout the cable section. It is very narrow though and it takes time to pause and let others pass. As you can see below, Caesar wanted to give everyone enough space so he went on the outside of the cables. Luckily, he had his harness!

Top of Half Dome

Congratulations. At this point, you’re at the top and can enjoy a needed rest break and grand views all around. Out of safety, but sure not to ascend this section if storm clouds are present as it can be very dangerous. Otherwise, be sure to snap some amazing photos.

While we had a great time hiking, it was smokey due to California fires and the photos didn’t come out as clear as we had hoped, but we were more than pleased with our experience. Maybe we will even go back one day. As for now, hope you enjoy your hike and that this helps you plan for the adventure.

Hardest part of the entire hike? Realizing that we now had to hike back down another 9 miles.

If you enjoy video more than photos, be sure to check out our YouTube video attached below. If you like it, we would love if you gave it a like/comment or subscribe to our channel for more adventures in the future. More than anything, enjoy hiking Half Dome and feel free to reach out on the comment section here, Instagram or Facebook if you have any questions.

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