Half Dome
Mountain Peak · Yosemite Valley, California
Half Dome is the granite dome at the east end of Yosemite Valley, rising to about 8,800 feet and roughly 4,800 feet above the valley floor, with a sheer northwest face that glaciers helped carve. It is the signature skyline of the park and one of the most photographed peaks in North America. Most people view it from the valley, Glacier Point or Olmsted Point. A small number climb it: the standard route is a very long day hike, around 14 to 16 miles round trip, ending with steel cables bolted to bare granite for the last stretch to the top. The cables are normally up from late May to mid-October, and a permit is required. It is strenuous, exposed and dangerous in wet weather or thunderstorms, so only well-prepared hikers should attempt it. Crowds on the cables can slow the climb, and many fit hikers turn back at the sub-dome. If you do not hold a permit, the views from the valley still deliver most of the drama. Confirm permit rules and cable dates before you plan.
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Valley, California, 95389, United States
The mountain is always there, but the cable route is only open to climbers when the cables are up, commonly from late May until mid-October, weather permitting, and the park can pull them down earlier or leave them down later depending on snow and ice. A permit is required for day hikers to go past the base of the sub-dome on the cable days, and enforcement is by rangers at checkpoints on the trail. Hikers typically start long before dawn, often by 5 am or earlier, and should be off the summit by early afternoon before storms build. Viewpoints such as Glacier Point have road closures in winter, so confirm current road status and trail conditions with the park before you leave.