Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Half Dome -- Easy or Hard?

So I hate to ask this question, but how would one rate the hike from the valley floor to half dome? I have never done it and am thinking of trying. I have done a few peaks on the east side of Yosemite that are over 13K and I have hiked Langley and Whitney. I was thinking of doing it as a day hike. Has anyone done half dome and what was their impression?

I did it a long time ago as a young guy with a full pack and I slept on the top. I thought it was hard. Tired after a hard day's hike when I came face to face with the cables, I thought "That is damn steep." There wasn't anyone on them at the time so there wasn't the false sense of security you get when being one of the herd either. Anyhow, the excitement of the situation and not knowing what I was in for gave me a lot of energy and ability to concentrate while going up the cables. I was glad to be rested the next morning when I went down the cables with full pack. Again there wasn't any herd for a false sense of security and I was well aware that if I slip I die.

For your case of a day hike with a light pack, probably not so bad. Have fun.

P.S. Nowadays, the cables are ridiculously crowded in the summer. Also, you might consider bringing gloves.

Hundreds now do it. That's how I first did it, oh, about 40 years ago but then there were few people so it was still a pleasant, uncrowded experience. It is a long day.

I came back a month later and did it as a backpack and as the other poster noted, slept on top (when it was still legal to do that).

I have since done it twice more within the last 6 or so years as part of a "passing through" backpack and find it much more pleasant but then I am quite a bit older. What I've done is camped about 2 miles from it and been the first or one of the first up for the day. I get the cables and the top to MYSELF and really prefer that.

A neat backpack is to cross over Clouds Rest and hit Half Dome the next morning.

I will be really trying to cram a lot into a 7 day trip to California. I was thinking of leaving my hometown (Modesto) around 4 which puts me into the trailhead around 6:30 and then doing a day hike to the top. Come down and then drive out to Bishop, hits Schatts for a great sandwhich and then back to Mammoth and maybe Mt. Ritter or Conness from the Glacier Y couloir. At any rate, I will traveling light and somewhat fast but I live about 50ft above sea level so I am thinking of throwning in a mid altitude hike to acclimate (Half Dome).

hey cessna two yrs ago my daughter then 12 and I did half dome we started at 5:30am and got back to camp 7pm..I just followed her she lead the way and did it at her pace and no problem at all..

On way down we put new pair of socks on, tired and glad to be back at camp... bring gloves for cables there's are a pile there but just to make sure bring your own....Also next time we do this we will camp at the backpackers camp above Nevada's falls on the trail on the way up there...mark

I've done Half Dome from TM in a couple of days but what I hated most about the trip other than crowds was the condition of the trail below Little Yosemite Valley. My knees were killing me by time I got to the Valley. Steps, steps and more steps.

A little off-topic, but some life-and-death Yosemite tales:

Tales of Yosemite’s Fatal Attraction

I have done the Half Dome dayhike that way from Fresno a few times. If you are in reasonable condition, it is a 10 to 12-hour round trip hike. I recommend pizza and your favorite drink at Curry Village afterwards -- a drive to Bishop is another 3 hours. And there is a Schatts in Mammoth, so skip the extra hour's run to Bishop.

The last two times that I hiked Half Dome just happened to be "free admission" weekends. The cables were gridlocked. The second time we left about 5:30 am and had no problems going up. Nonetheless, we saw gridlocked cables gong down and asked a rhetorical question to some of the people coming up, "This isn't one of those free-admission weekends?" Sure enough it was.

You definitely want to be on the trail before 7 am, so 6:30 probably will work. The biggest uncertainty is the amount of two-way traffic on the face of the quarter dome and the two-way traffic on the cables. You get a nice view of both at a lookout, but top is still about an hour away (deceptive). I tell people that the Mist Trail is usually the best way up and the John Muir trail is usually the best way down, even though it is about 1.1 miles longer (it is a smooth grade vice over 1000 steps).

(Also see the thread Hikes in Yosemite for more opinions).

I did this as a day hike last October and absolutely loved every second of it. I was camped at Upper Pines Cpgd and left from there at 6, got back to Happy Isles by 4 (with about 60-90min at the top). It was a gorgeous day weather wise, and the date meant fewer people all along the trail and especially on the cables.

What I found challenging were the "staircases from hell" along the mist trail, heading up Nevada Falls, and the tight switchers/steps right before getting to the cables. I might recommend doing some stadium stairs to prep.

It's a totally do-able day-hike and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's prepared for it. you can see my pics at www.flickr.com/photos/moosepics621 and just look for the Yosemite Album from 10/06. I believe HikeAlongPete also has a great video of the whole hike for sale on his site (up the John Muir trail, right?) and I know there have been a few threads on this board that might offer more insight as well.

-Laura

I'd rate it as pretty easy. You see everything from young kids to old folks dayhiking this trail. Other that the actual walk up the cables, which is more psychologically than physically difficult IMO, it is just a long hike at moderate altitude. There is plenty of water along the route until the last stretch, so no need to carry much from the base.

If you want to get more altitude in the Yosemite area, Cathedral peak is also a nice day hike.

It's a fantastic hike; I was not much of an avid hiker, but last year decided I wanted to do Half Dome (I was 60). I spent about 4 months hiking, surfing, and losing 25 lbs., and as it turned out my 3 sons (15, 25, 30) all wanted to go. They are all in decent shape but were not avid hikers like many at the Whitney board. We all made it, smiling:

http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/halfdome

I did a lot of reading up on it in advance, and the post up this thread is the only person I've ever seen that said it was an easy hike...most rate it as strenuous or very strenuous. This being a board of Whitney hikers, I suppose the bar for 'strenuous' is a bit higher, but if you're not completely exhausted at the end of the day, I'd be surprised.

However, strenuous or not, it's doable by normal folks in good shape. Leave early, bring lunch, snacks and water, allot 12 hours with at least an hour on top, and I imagine all will go fine. Take a cheap poncho for the mist trail, and consider taking the JMT from Nevada falls down to Happy Isles on the return to avoid so many steps on your tired knees...it's longer but timewise, not much different.

Some try it from Glacier Point going down the Panorama trail; wonderful trail but way too long a way to get to Half Dome, Happy Isles from the Valley is the best.

The toughest part to me was the granite steps on sub-dome, often called 'satan's staircase'. Very steep and at 7500+ feet, it's 'step and stop' for most people 8^).

A $2 pair of gardening gloves with rubber on the palms is nice, though there's a pile at the base of the cables if you prefer. Leather is OK but the cables are very smooth and you have to really grip tight going up...that's why I suggest the rubber palms.

We're going up again at the end of May, for the second annual, so that tells you how much we enjoyed it.

I'd rate Half Dome (by itself) as fairly easy. I left the Bay Area around midnight, picked up a couple hiking partners from Davis around 1, and drove straight to the Happy Isles trailhead. We got started probably around 5:30, and were the second party to reach the cables (we took Mist trail). The view from the top is spectacular, and we were inspired to extend the remainder of our hike.

On the way back down to the valley floor, we took the scenic route and hiked Panorama Trail past Illilouette Falls to Glacier Point, then down Four Mile trail to the valley floor. This ended up being a very long day (~14 hours & just under 30 miles in total), but if we had just gone straight up and down Half Dome we'd have been done by about 2 pm and far from tired. My only advice: wear lots of bug repellent at dusk on the valley floor!

From Jeffrey P. Schaffer's book "Yosemite National Park", which I consider the bible of hiking in the park: Distance: 16.4 miles round trip.( I believe this is up the Mist trail and down the John Muir trail.) Elevation 4,737 ft. Grade; Strenuous day hike.

If you're a marathon runner or equivalent, this is a fairly moderate hike. If you are an ultra-endurance runner, it is easy. If you are not, it is more strenous. If you are built like most marathon runners ie. skinny build, about 135-145, not much upper body muscle, it is easier. If you have a heavier, more muscular build, such as from weight training, or even more so if you are overweight, it is harder. All else being equal, past a certain age, the older you are, the harder it is.

The reason I write this is there is no use in taking anyone's word as gospel unless you know how your conditioning, weight, age, injury status, etc. compares to those giving the advice. You have guys on this board that are so light that a stiff breeze might blow them off the ridge, and so conditioned and used to hiking every weekend that a 20 mile hike at elevation (typically above 8000 ft.) and with altitude gains of 4-5000 ft. is an average jaunt. You have people who are trying to set a time record every time they are out, and others to whom time is not really an issue, so long as they can finish it in a day. Size of your pack/load, of course, will also affect this.

My suggestion, aside from knowing what your own capabilities are from doing other hikes and training, is to post some statistics such as weight, age, what type of training, if any, you've done, etc. and then compare yourself to someone similar.

I've done it 3 times. First as a multi-day hike with a stop at Little Yosemite, and the last two as day hikes.

living only 1 hour from Yosemite, i have hiked Half Dome many times.Because of the crowds and summer heat, I only hike it at night. if you start around 11:00 pm you can easily be on top for sunrise and be back to curry village for lunch.ENJOY!

I like the night hikes, I like to boogie! However, my schedule is to get up at 3 AM on the 14th and fly from the east coast to west. Arrive at airport at noon and then hang out with the parents before I head up to Yosemite the next day. I got a tent at White Wolf for that night!!!
I am somewhat out of shape since all I have done for the last 6 months is sit at my desk at study from sunrise to well past sunset. So I think I might get up early-ish and then try it, but not too early. I need to get caught up on the sleep.

By the way Magg, being only an hour outside of Yosemite, which direction?? I am from a town 2 hours outside.

If you mean May 15, there's no guarantee that Tioga Road will be open by then, to get you through to Lee Vining. Being a dry year, it seems likely to be open, but that can change. Also, the Half Dome cables will probably not be up, and in fact they may be working on them at that time, as they like to get them up before Memorial Day weekend. You can go up with the cables down, but if they're being worked on you may get hassled.

I missed your 'mid-thread' message before; if you're just looking for something to rush up and get acclimated, there may be better choices. Give the Half-Dome hike its due when you have more time and can enjoy it, rather than use it for an exercise trail (though even if you can't get up the cables, a few trips up and down satan's staircase should get you going).

There are lots of hikes along Tioga Road, assuming it's open, that will acclimate you and be closer to White Wolf and Bishop. Mt. Dana, etc., with pretty decent altitudes.

Just to clarify things for any who might not be full-time mountaineers and read the thread, we all have seen the 20 year old guys who run up Half Dome in sandals after partying all night, with a water bottle and nothing else, but they're the exception (The book "Shattered Air" shows some real youthful foolishness in action, and the results). We also see a LOT of people who thought there was "plenty of water" and are begging water or are miserable. The last reliable easy-to-find water is the Merced River above Nevada Falls, which you can filter if you're so inclined, or you can divert to Little Yosemite campground. There is a spring further up but you have to know where to look, and the small flows that cross the trail should probably be filtered...so don't go up with a 16 oz. bottle of water figuring there's "plenty". The weight of sufficient water won't kill you.

As ExPro said, no one can really tell you how tough it will be for you personally; for non-mountaineers who may be reading this, do a web search or have a look at hiking books to get a balanced viewpoint of the hike.

Sorry, I should have said June 15th. I have Mt. Dana maybe 3 times now, North Peak and the Conness area. I was thinking of trying for Lembert Dome, the south Class 3 Route for a few hours of fun. I prefer the hikes above the treeline for the solitude and majesty but since I have been studying non-stop I wouldn't mind some social hiking. That is why Half Dome came to mind. I have also done Yosemite Falls, North Dome and lots of others in the valley numerous times. I did almost the entire half dome hike when I was 16 but we turned back at the cables. I hate to admit it, but that was 18 years ago (ouch). Its getting hard to remember what the trail was like and I was not in very good shape at all back then.

My girlfriend and I did Half Dome from the aforementioned Glacier Point. We started around 4:30 AM or so..and ended up back at the lot around 6:00 PM...around 21 miles in 13 hours..with a long stop on the summit of Half Dome to get engaged (!). Coming down from Glacier Point was nice because for the first half or 2/3rds of the hike we avoided the crowds and only saw about 5 other people. Once we joined the main trail coming up from the Valley, of course, it got busier. We had a great time. It was tiring..but completely awesome. Our trip report and photos here:

http://www.mudspike.com/california.htm

Good luck!
Chris