Half Dome

 

Hike Distance:  14.2 miles (22.7 km) round trip via Mist Trail
16.5 miles (26.5 km) round trip via John Muir Trail
20 miles (32 km) round trip via Glacier Point
23 miles (37) km round trip via Tenaya Lake
7 miles (11 km) round trip from Little Yosemite Valley campground

Half Dome Elevation:  8,842 feet (2,650 meters)
Total Elevation Gain:  4,800 feet (1,600 meters) from Yosemite Valley

Hiking Time:  10 - 14 hours

Why climb the trail to Half Dome?  Half Dome is the ultimate Yosemite day hike - the one you can't die without doing, and the one you're most likely to die while doing.

It's got 900 feet (300 meters) worth of spectacular waterfalls at the bottom if you take the Mist Trail route; bigger-than-life panoramic vistas at the top; and a knee-knocking, hand-clamming cable ascent that will test your courage, your strength, and the tread on your shoes.

Permit Alert:  You'll need a permit to access the cable section of the trail. For 2013, you can enter the lottery for the bulk of the permits throughout March, and throughout the summer the park service will be allocating 50 or so additional permits per day two days in advance, also via lottery - more details below.

Crowd Factor:  High - so high, in fact, that the park service has instituted a permit system for the cable route, a perennial source of bottlenecks. It appears that this has shifted the bottleneck from the cables to the permit-reservation system; in 2011 the permits generally sold out within an hour of becoming available, and in 2012 the park service switched to a lottery system.

If you don't mind lugging a big pack up the Mist Trail, you can arrive before the day hikers by spending the night before in Little Yosemite Valley and getting an early start the next morning. (You'll need a wilderness permit to do this.) 

Sundry Half Dome Goodies

Difficulty:  Extreme. It's long, steep at the beginning and end, and more dangerous than most Yosemite hikes. It's probably the most difficult of all Yosemite day hikes. On the traditional 1 to 10 scale, this one rates an 11.

Insanity Factor: 9 out of 10.  Wait 'til you get to the cables, and you'll see.

Best Time to Visit:  You can't climb Half Dome unless the cables are up, which is generally from mid-May or early June through Columbus Day weekend in October. The waterfalls will be better the earlier in the year you go. Avoid Half Dome on days when there are thunder clouds in the area - it's not worth the risk. Even rain without lightning will make the granite on the cable route dangerously slick, so it's best to skip stormy days altogether.

Unlike 2010, when the route was less crowded on weekends due to the new permit system, and every year before 2010, when the route was less crowded on weekdays, the new permit-required-every-day system means that no particular day of the week will be better, although you might find it easier to get lodging for weekdays. The park service only issues around 350 permits per day for the cable section (225 for day hikers via the March lottery, 75 for backpackers, and another 50 or so given out via lottery two days in advance), and not all the permit holders show up, so there will usually be less than 350 climbers.

Bathrooms:  At Happy Isles (including plumbing), just across the river from the trailhead; at the bridge below Vernal Fall (also with plumbing); near the Emerald Pool above Vernal Fall (outhouse style); above Nevada Fall (outhouse); and at Little Yosemite Valley campground (requires a short detour from the trail).

Nearest Snacks:  At Happy Isles and at Curry Village, which is three quarters of a mile (1.2 km) from the trailhead. Neither are open at 6 a.m., though, which is about when you'll want to start your hike.

There's also potable water just across the bridge below Vernal Fall, 0.8 miles (1.2 km) up the trail.

Driving Directions:  The trailhead is at the east end of Yosemite Valley, to which almost all roads in Yosemite lead. From 140, just stay on the road until you're in Yosemite Valley; from the north (Big Oak Flat) entrance, do the same; from the Tioga Road, go west until it terminates at Big Oak Flat Road, then turn left and follow Big Oak Flat Road to the valley; from the south entrance, take highway 41 (which you're already on) all the way to the valley.

Once you've reached Yosemite Valley, keep an eye out for signs to Curry Village and head in their general direction. Once you've reached the Curry Village vicinity of the valley, you should start spotting signs for trailhead parking. Follow them to the trailhead lot or park at Curry Village.

If you're taking the Glacier Point route, take highway 41 to Glacier Point Road and then take Glacier Point Road to its eastern terminus at, appropriately enough, Glacier Point.

Parking:  Your closest option is the trailhead parking lot. It's just past Curry Village, on a road that's marked "Service Vehicles Only". However, your private car is apparently allowed to enter this road to perform the service of getting you to the trailhead parking lot. The trailhead lot has a few dozen bear-proof storage lockers in which you can store all the scented stuff you don't want to haul up the trail with you. They tend to fill up early, though.

If the trailhead lot is full, you can park at Curry Village, which you'll find near the east end of Southside Drive. As you head east into Yosemite Valley, you'll find road signs pointing the way.

If you're taking the long route from Glacier Point, park in the Glacier Point parking lot and take the Panorama Trail, which will intersect with the main Half Dome route just above Nevada Fall.

For most Yosemite Valley hikes, you can park in any lot and catch a free shuttle bus to the trailhead. If you're planning a dawn start for Half Dome, though, as most day hikers do, that won't work, because the buses don't start running until 7 a.m.