About This Page

This is a page that helps me to plan 1-day climbs to Half Dome. I have climbing/hiking experience, have been to Yosemite 20+ times over the years and have climbed Half Dome many times before. I believe the information herein is accurate and time tested, but use it at your own risk.

When to go?

From June to September, when the cables are up. Exact dates may vary according to wheather conditions. Days are longer and waterfalls are full of water, but trails are very crowded in May and June. If this is your first time in Yosemite, I would suggest take a slow paced hike to top of Nevada Falls (about half the distance) rather than going all the way to top of Half Dome.

More information on camping in Yosemite can also be found here .

General Description

Half Dome is a difficult and long hike done in 8-12 hours. Round trip distance is about 16 miles, elevation gain is about 4800 ft. To do it in one day, you must be reasonably fit and motivated. For most people, there is some suffering involved. An option is to camp at Little Yosemite Valley and do the climb in more reasonable 2 days.

The hike is visually rewarding (magnificent views of Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, and Yosemite Valley) and gives us a sense of accomplishment, but the necessary pace to complete the hike in one day doesn't allow much sightseeing. If this is your first time in Yosemite, you will be very tempted to take the hike slowly and appreciate the great views of the waterfalls.

The ideal group size for a Half Dome climb is 3-6. Big groups usually move too slowly and make the climb even more tiring and difficult for all (including the people going slower). Groups of 8+ people don't work. Consider breaking big groups into smaller ones.

For comparison sake, SF Bay Area residents can compare the level of effort to do Half Dome to doing Mission Peak (Fremont, CA) 2-3 times. Of course the mindset is different but if climbing Mission Peak once is a major life accomplishment for you, consider top of Nevada Falls as a good and challenging objective.

Before the Hike

- If possible, sleep early and well the night before (most people stay at Curry Village or camp).
- Have your pack ready to go in advance (the idea is to start the hike as early as possible).
- Hike Mission Peak several times before the trip so that you are prepared.
- Eat something before starting the hike
- Dress in layers

What to wear and what to pack?

Good, broken-in, and comfortable hiking boots are strongly recommended and is the most important piece of equipment. Tennis shoes are acceptable but won't work well on wet rock or steep terrain. New boots may cause blisters. Tevas are for the beach. Make sure the boots fit well (not too tight, not lose).

Wear a comfortable backpack, keep it as light as possible, and pack ALL of the following:

- Three (3) liters of water/sports drink minimum and 4L recommended. You can refill bottles at the first bridge (half hour from trailhead) both on the way up and down. I usually carry 6 liters (4L for me and 2L for people who ignores this recommendation and beg for water half way through the climb). 

- Food for the day (bars, trail mix, fruits, etc.) preferably packed in ziplock bags. Don't bring more than what you will eat. If you decide to overpack, use the weight budget for water, not food.  If you pack fresh fruits or otherwise smelly food, you may have to worry about to keeping it in bear-proof lockers the night before (see below).

- Light wind breaker. If wearing shorts, wind breaker pants recommended. Sunglasses, hat, sun block (sun will be on your back most of the time). A pair of light carpenter/gardening gloves ($1.50 at Home Depot for the cables). Good flashlight and spare batteries, Moleskin/band-aid (for blisters), camera

Someone in the group could bring additional emergency supplies such as space blanket, painkiller, neosporin, bandages, pocket army knife, water purifying tablets, etc. Compass/altimeters are not really necessary unless it is winter and/or you are going off trail. A Yosemite trail map is recommended.


Additional Recommendations

- If there are risks of thunderstorms, abort the climb
- Adjust your boots before you get blisters, not after
- Don't move too slowly or too fast. Keep a good constant pace
- Partially frozen water makes cold water at the end of the day
- Last drinking water fountain at the first bridge (1/5 of the way)
- Last pit toilet is at top of Nevada Falls (2/5 of the way)

The Hike

We start from Happy Isles, at the John Muir trail head. Preferably by 7:30AM, and not later than 9:00AM. I cannot stress enough the importance of leaving early (avoid traffic on the cables, avoid hiking in the dark, avoid missing last shuttle bus, avoid missing pizza etc).

From the first bridge (about 15 min), there are two trails going up to top of Nevada. Mist Trail to the left (steeper, nicer views, faster) or the John Muir Trail to the right (longer distance, less congested, gradual, slower). If you are hiking with me and we are going all the way to Half Dome, we will take Mist trail both ways. Some people will tell you to descend Jonh Muir because it is gentler on the knees. I think that is just much longer, slower suffering.

Taking Mist Trail, we will climb rock steps with Vernal Falls roaring close on our left (that is why "mist"), reach the top of the waterfall, cross the bridge and then hike a steep trail with Nevada Falls on our right. Seeing top of Nevada Falls closely requires a 1/4 mile detour (worth the extra distance, good place for a short break).

If we were to take the John Muir trail, the hike is more gradual and constant around the opposite side of Nevada Falls. There is an impressive view of Vernal Falls from above and good approach views of Nevada (including the crossing of the bridge right above it). The trail is less scenic.

The waterfalls will be astonishing during May-Jun. The rest of the year they are just amazing.

The target is to get to top of Vernal in 1 hour and top of Nevada's in 2.5 hours or less and that require good pace, without long sightseeing stops. Top of Nevada is less than half of the way. If you are extremely tired, you should consider enjoying the view and descend from here.

From top of Nevada up, there is only one trail. There is a flat, sandy section through Little Yosemite Valley, then it gets steeper. As you cross the tree-line, the real climb starts. The "quarter-dome" boulder climb is done through steep rock step switchbacks. Wearing gloves may be useful.

The last section is the dome itself and we climb the 45+ degree slope with the help of cables and wooden steps. Here is where you need the gloves (there may be some gloves in a box at the bottom of the dome left by other hikers, but you should not count on that).

Usually there is some traffic congestion in the cables (specially if you arrive late and there is a lot of people coming down) and this takes about half hour. The climb is not technical at all and doesn't present any out-of-the ordinary risk or difficulty but many people who are afraid of heights find the cables very challenging.

From the top of Half Dome, you get a great view of the entire valley and can look down a 3000 ft vertical drop.

Target should be to reach the top of Half Dome in about 5.5 hours, spend some time there and descend back to Happy Isles backtracking on the same path.

The hike down demands less energy, but not less caution. Most of climbing accidents occur in the way down. Be careful at the rock steps and save your knees (believe me, they will be hurting bad at the end of the hike). Keep your boot laces tight so that your toes don't jam against the front of the boots. Keep a good pace, you don't want to be hiking in the dark and arrive at Curry Village after the pizza patio is closed.

The "right" Pace

Of course there is not right or wrong pace for any climb. But suffering and risk of injuries and exhaustion increases exponentially after 10 hours, To evaluate your progress as you go, consider the following timetable. If you are falling way behind schedule, leave half dome for the next trip.

    0:00h start from the Happy Isles trailhead
    0:55h arrive at top of Vernal Falls
    1:10h leave top of Vernal Falls
    2:00h arrive at top of Nevada Falls
    2:15h leave top of Nevada Falls
    4:00h cross tree line, start of rock steps
    5:00h start of cables
    5:30h arrive at summit
    6:00h start way down
    9:30h back at Happy Isles trailhead

The above pace requires small groups with very good fitness level. Otherwise, you need to allow for delays in your planning.

Shuttle buses run from 7:00AM to 8:30PM (later during early summer, but don't count on that). It gets dark in the valley around half hour before sunset (7:00PM in Sep). Pizza patio closes at 9:00PM. Plan your climb so that you do not hike in the dark.
 
After the Hike

You will be sore and tired. Your knees will hurt bad. You will be exhausted and hungry.

We eat frozen pizza with watery Budweiser and we feel that is the greatest meal ever. We take a shower and it feels like a dream. We sleep well despite the guy snoring in the next bed. We are happy!
 

Bears, food lockers, low-impact hiking

Yosemite Park is wild bear country. You should never feed any wildlife while in the park. Junk food is not good for you and is deadly for animals. People leave food unattended or feed animals, teaching them that getting food from people is easier than hunting. Overtime, they become less cautious and start invading campgrounds and aggressively approaching people for deadly food. Rangers have to sacrifice smart bears because human laws prohibit sacrificing dumb tourists.

So, the rule is that any food (as well as anything that smell like food - cologne, bubble gum, etc) should never be unattended (in the car trunk, in the tent cabin, etc). Those items should be kept in bear-proof food lockers. I'm not paranoid enough to follow that rule to the letter, but I do keep my toothpaste and my dry food inside double ziplock bags overnight. Pineapples, smoked salmon, and Kimchi should definetely be kept in the food lockers.

If you are arriving late to stay at Curry Village, you may have difficulties finding an available food locker. So, as much as possible, avoid having unnecessary food in the car or in your pack when arriving to Yosemite.

While in Yosemite:

- Do not feed wild animals (do not teach them to trust/depend on humans)
- Do not leave any food unattended (same)
- Pack out all yours and other's garbage (leave it cleaner than you found it)
- Leave rocks, pine cones, and everything else where they belong
- If there is a trail, stay on the trail (avoids erosion and killing fragil vegetation)

If I see you breaking the rules above, I won't say anything, but probably will not invite you next time.

If you can, be polite and respectful: use cell phones/two-way radios only in emergencies, don't be too loud while in the trails, don't walk in big noisy careless groups, try not to interfere when other people are appreciating the views, etc.

If you ever face an encounter with an aggressive bear, run. Remember: you don't need to run faster than the bear, all you need is to run faster than your slowest friend.

Seriously, most likely a bear will see you before you see him and stay away. If you do see a bear, do not approach. If you are ever attacked by a bear, I read that the best tactic is to roll into a ball, protect your face, and not move. The bear will eventually leave you alone and you have a great story to tell your friends.