Half Dome Trail

Half Dome is a strenuous out-and-back day hike from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, climbing past Vernal and Nevada Falls, through Little Yosemite Valley, over Sub Dome and up the summit cables. This stored route returns along the same 7.15-mile Mist Trail corridor, for 14.3 miles round trip; it does not include the longer John Muir Trail descent some hikers choose. Allow 10 to 12 hours and expect about 4,800 feet of climbing. This is a demanding summit day for fit, prepared hikers, not a waterfall stroll. Start early, set a turnaround time, and carry a headlamp so the return does not depend on daylight. The payoff is a broad granite summit with views across Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra.

From Happy Isles the trail climbs toward Vernal Fall. The Mist Trail steepens into more than 600 granite steps beside the river, where spray can make the stairs and nearby rock slick. Keep to the established steps; entering Emerald Pool and the Silver Apron is prohibited. Pause where the falls open into view, but save energy for the much longer climb above them.

The route continues uphill to Nevada Fall, with steep rocky switchbacks and views toward Liberty Cap. Beyond the waterfall, Little Yosemite Valley gives you a relatively gentler stretch before the climb resumes toward the Half Dome junction and Sub Dome. The upper approach becomes more open and exposed, and steep granite steps lead to the permit checkpoint. This is a long way from the trailhead even before the cables begin, so keep checking your pace and turnaround plan.

The final ascent gains roughly 400 feet on a steep granite face using two cables and seasonal footholds. A permit is required beyond Sub Dome when the cables are up. The rock is dangerously slick when wet, and the exposed summit is unsafe in storm conditions; do not start the cable climb with wet granite or nearby storms. Gloves make the metal cables easier to grip, and secure loose items before climbing. From the broad top, frame a granite slab in the foreground with Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra beyond it to show the scale of the view.

This listing represents the same Mist Trail corridor in both directions. Some hikers descend by the John Muir Trail instead, avoiding the steep Mist Trail stairs but adding distance; that is a different route variant from the 14.3-mile figure here. The shorter Vernal Fall Footbridge walk is a separate choice if the summit day is too much: it is about 1.6 miles round trip with 400 feet of climbing from Happy Isles.

NPS recommends carrying at least a gallon of water for the Half Dome day. The treated-water fountain at Vernal Fall Footbridge is seasonal; treat water taken from the Merced River. Toilets are available at Happy Isles and the footbridge, with composting toilets near Emerald Pool, the top of Nevada Fall, and Little Yosemite Valley. Start at Happy Isles shuttle stop 16. The nearest trailhead parking is just beyond Curry Village, about half a mile away; Curry Village has a market and restaurants as a separate stop, not on the trail.

An 1865 report described Half Dome as likely never to be trodden by a person. George Anderson reached the summit in 1875 and laid the predecessor to today’s cable route. The cables made the final wall a hiking route, but they did not make it an ordinary finish: the last slope remains steep, exposed granite where weather and footing decide whether to continue.

Much of Yosemite’s granite crystallized underground between about 105 and 85 million years ago, then erosion exposed it. Later glaciers carved the valley and helped shape the domes and waterfalls on this route. Along the walk, squirrels, chipmunks, and Steller’s jays are among the wildlife noted around the trail; keep food attended and do not feed them.