Hiking And Seeing Yosemite Half Dome Yosemite Half Dome stands 8,842 feet tall. A granite mountain that has been cut in half by the ice glaciers that passed through. When the glacier passed through it did not reach the top 900 feet of this rock. The glaciers took out the jointed northwest side and the frost took out the front side of the rock. It is a very recognizable part of Yosemite's landscape. The Ahwahneechee Indians were the ones who live in Yosemite Valley in the early days. The Indians called half dome, Tissaack. They believed that a woman turned to stone because of her anger. They believed that half dome is that woman. Tears of sadness are still visible on her light colored face on the front wall. Peregrine falcons are birds that make their nests in the cracks and deep crevasse on this rock. Grab your binoculars and see if you can find a Peregrine falcon! Hiking Or Climbing Half Dome Many love the challenge of going to the top of this landmark mountain. (I personally have hiked it three times) It is a 17 mile round trip hike. It takes 10-12 hours to go up and back and can be done in one long day. It is a difficult hike and I personally think anyone who is in shape and over the age of 12 can hike it if they are determined! The top of Half Dome is bigger than you think, when you look at it from Yosemite Valley. The area on top of the dome is equivalent to 17 football fields! So there is a lot of space to walk around on when you are standing on top. The US National Parks did a study and found that out of all trails in all US National Parks, the trail to the top of Yosemite Half Dome is the most traveled. More people want to hike to the top of Half Dome than on any other hiking trail. There are four ways for you to get to the top The first way is to start at the Happy Isles Trail. Go to the trail head and start walking! You head up the Vernal Fall and Mist Trail. From there you keep going up the John Muir trail to Nevada Falls. From there you take the Yosemite Half Dome Trail to the top. Half Dome Cables The last 500 feet are cables that you use to go to the top. Cables are not up all year long (lightening can strike them). Cables are usually up by Memorial Day weekend which is in late May. The cables come down after Columbus Day in mid October. In my opinion, the cables are not as scary as they look. You have two cables with wooden slats between them. You put a hand on each cable and step on the wooden slats that have been put in place and walk up. People go up and down the same way. The cables are at a 45 degree angle on the northeast side of the dome. It takes about 15 minutes to go up the cable stretch...so your not on them very long. Please be courteous to those who want to pass you. The second way to the top is to start at Glacier Point. You can drive to Glacier Point and walk down and over on the Panorama Trail. This hike allows you to go down hill about 3/4 of the time. You are starting out higher than Nevada Falls. You walk down to Nevada Falls and then go up the Yosemite Half Dome Trail from there. Between Glacier Point and Nevada Falls you pass by Illioutte Falls. This waterfall is not seen from the valley floor. I have done the Panorama hike three times and it takes 10-12 hours to complete. I think going this route is easier than starting at Happy Isles and going straight up. Besides this way has more scenic views of the valley. When you are heading back, do not go the same way that you came or you'll end up back at Glacier Point. Just follow signs down to Happy Isles, it is shorter and down hill. The third way to get you to the top of Yosemite Half Dome is to ride a mule or a horse. Yes, you can let the four legged beasts do the walking while you sit! They will take you as far as the cables. Animals do not climb cables so you must dismount at the cables. You climb the cables and in about 15 minutes...you will be at the top of Half Dome The only draw back with riding a horse or the mule is...time. They only give you about 30 minutes to go on to top and back. They want the horses and mules back at the stables before dark. (That gives you 30 minutes to go up the cables, down the cables and spend about 1 minute on top of the mountain :( It is nice to spend about an hour on top of the world after all the work that it takes to get there! Amazing enough, it is still about a 10 hour round trip if you take a horse or donkey to the top. It is not the time saver that you think it might be. There is a forth way to the top of Yosemite Half Dome. It is for professional mountain climbers only though! In the summer months it isn't hard to see a professional rock climber climbing up the face of Half Dome. Grab your binoculars and watch the pros!
Don't Want To Do The Half Dome Hike You don't have to stand on Yosemite Half Dome to enjoy the beauty of it. Just head up to Glacier Point and you can look straight across at it. You are just as high up...and your car takes you there! Your so close it looks as if you can throw a rock and hit it. But don't do it! Half Dome Permits Anyone hiking or climbing Yosemite Half Dome must now have a permit Permits limit the number of people hiking or climbing any day of the week. Permits are required 7 days a week, not just weekends and holidays. A maximum of 400 permits will be issued for each of these days. (Before the permit system, fewer than 400 people used this trail on weekdays, while about 1200 people used this trail on weekends and holidays, on average) Permits cost $1.50. Permits are now available up to four months in advance to one week in advance. Permits are available only through the National Recreation Reservation Service. They are not available in the park or on a first-come, first-served basis. However, you may get one in the park if someone calls and cancels their hike. A National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger is always checking for permits at the base of the cables. Permits are tough to get. (If your really frustrated and want a permit, they are illegally being sold online on the 21 different California Craigslists.) Here is an interesting fact: Permanent cables were installed in 1927. They are taken down every winter because of all the lightening.  Return To Yosemite NP Page
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