The Complete Half Dome Hike Guide: Permits, Cables & Climbing Routes

You get a Half Dome permit through the National Park Service permit lottery on recreation.gov. There are two ways: (1) the Preseason Lottery, which runs each year in March (applications open March 1-31), with results announced in mid-April for the entire cable season (typically late May through mid-October), and (2) the Daily Lottery, which runs 2 days before each hiking date for any remaining unused permits. The Preseason Lottery is significantly more reliable for planning purposes but is competitive — the application fee is $10 per person and approximately 50-60% of applications are successful overall, with weekday dates much more accessible than weekend dates. You can apply for up to 6 people per application and up to 7 candidate dates. Day-of-trip cost: $10 per person for the permit if you win. Applying for weekdays in September dramatically improves your odds. Attempting to hike Half Dome without a permit results in citations and turn-backs at the Subdome ranger checkpoint.

The Half Dome cables are a fixed cable and post system installed on the final 400 vertical feet of Half Dome to allow non-technical hikers to ascend the steep granite face. The cables consist of two parallel steel cables held approximately 3 feet apart by wooden posts driven into the granite at regular intervals, with wooden boards placed at the bottom of each post to provide foot rests. Hikers grip both cables (using leather work gloves brought from home — gloves are not provided) and pull themselves up the 45-degree granite slope while stepping on the wooden boards. The cable section ascends approximately 400 vertical feet over about 600 feet of distance with the steepest section being around 50 degrees. The Half Dome cables are installed each year in late May and removed in mid-October — typically Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day weekend, though exact dates depend on weather and snow conditions. The cables are typically taken down October 11-15 each year. Outside cable season, ascending the final face requires technical rock climbing equipment and skills.

Half Dome is moderately to very difficult depending on your hiking experience. The standard Half Dome hike is 14-17 miles round trip (depending on route) with 4,800 feet of elevation gain, taking most hikers 10-14 hours to complete. Fit hikers without altitude or technical climbing concerns rate it ‘strenuous’ while less-experienced hikers find it extremely demanding. The technical demands are: (1) very long mileage — most weekend hikers have never done a 14-17 mile day; (2) substantial elevation gain — 4,800 feet is more than most hikers experience in a single day; (3) the unique cables section — the final 400 vertical feet on cables creates psychological exposure that affects climbers with fear of heights; (4) the long descent — fatigue management on 14-17 miles of return is harder than the ascent for many. The National Park Service rates Half Dome as ‘strenuous’ and recommends only hikers in very good physical condition attempt it. Average completion times: fit hikers 10-12 hours, average fit hikers 12-14 hours, slower hikers 14-17 hours. The cables section itself takes most hikers 30-60 minutes up and 30-60 minutes down.

Half Dome is generally not recommended for true beginners — but the answer depends heavily on what counts as a beginner. The National Park Service and most experienced hikers recommend that anyone attempting Half Dome should have: (1) completed at least one or more 12-15 mile day hikes previously to verify they can handle the distance; (2) completed at least one hike with 3,000+ feet of elevation gain to confirm they can handle the climbing; (3) familiarity with hiking on exposed terrain to manage the psychological demands of the cables; (4) the physical capacity to start hiking at sunrise and continue for 10-14 hours. Complete beginners — people who have never done a serious day hike — should not attempt Half Dome as their first major hike. However, a ‘beginner mountaineer’ (someone with substantial hiking experience but no climbing background) can absolutely complete Half Dome with proper preparation; the cables route requires no technical climbing skills. The cables section is psychologically intimidating but not technically difficult — the difficulty for non-climbers is the height and exposure rather than physical climbing skill. We recommend that anyone with fear of heights or no exposure hiking experience start with shorter exposed hikes (Yosemite’s Sentinel Dome or Glacier Point) before attempting Half Dome.

The Half Dome cables are typically up from late May through mid-October each year, with exact dates depending on weather and snow conditions. The historical pattern is: the cables go up the Friday before Memorial Day (typically the third or fourth Friday of May), and come down on the day after Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day (the second Monday of October — typically October 11-15). The National Park Service announces exact dates each year in early spring after assessing winter snowpack and trail conditions. The cables can be taken down earlier than usual in years with early winter storms — and can be installed later than usual if snow remains on the route. The official National Park Service Half Dome page publishes current year dates. Hiking Half Dome outside cable season requires technical rock climbing equipment and is significantly more dangerous — most non-climbers should plan trips specifically within the cable season window.

The Half Dome hike takes most hikers 10-14 hours round trip from the Yosemite Valley trailhead (Happy Isles), with the full range being 8-17 hours depending on fitness and route choice. Average times by fitness level: very fit hikers 8-10 hours, fit hikers 10-12 hours, average fitness 12-14 hours, slower pace 14-17 hours. The standard approach is to start hiking before sunrise (4-5 AM) using headlamps to avoid the heat of the day, reach the summit by 10-11 AM, descend, and return to the trailhead by 4-6 PM. The time breakdown on a typical Half Dome hike is approximately: 4-5 hours hiking from trailhead to the base of the Subdome, 30-45 minutes ascending the Subdome stairs, 30-60 minutes on the cables to the summit, 30-60 minutes at the summit (depending on crowds and conditions), 30-60 minutes descending the cables, 30-45 minutes descending the Subdome, 3.5-4.5 hours descending to the trailhead. The Mist Trail and John Muir Trail combination (Mist Trail up, John Muir Trail down) is the most common route choice — and saves approximately 1-2 hours over doing the full John Muir Trail in both directions.

Half Dome is 8,839 feet (2,694 meters) above sea level — the summit elevation. From the Yosemite Valley floor at approximately 4,000 feet, Half Dome rises about 4,800 vertical feet (1,463 meters), creating the iconic granite monolith that dominates the eastern Yosemite Valley skyline. The famous Northwest Face (visible from the Valley) is approximately 2,000 feet of nearly vertical granite — making it one of the most famous big wall climbing objectives in the world. The hike from Happy Isles trailhead (4,030 feet) to the summit (8,839 feet) gains 4,800 feet of elevation, which is comparable to or greater than many serious mountaineering objectives. Half Dome is not actually a ‘half’ dome — the missing portion that creates the dramatic flat face is the result of glacial erosion of the original full dome, not a piece that broke off as the appearance suggests.

No, you cannot legally hike to the Half Dome summit without a permit during cable season (typically late May through mid-October). The National Park Service requires permits for all hikers ascending Half Dome via the cables route — the requirement was implemented in 2010 to address dangerous overcrowding on the cables, which had reached 800+ people per day during peak season and was causing serious safety incidents. Rangers check permits at the Subdome — the granite steps section before the cables — and hikers without valid permits are turned back. Technical climbers attempting the Northwest Face routes (Snake Dike, Regular Northwest Face, etc.) do NOT need the cable permit because they ascend via different routes that bypass the cables, though they need separate wilderness permits for any backcountry travel. Attempting to hike past the ranger checkpoint without a permit results in citations and substantial fines. The permit cost is $10 per person if you win the lottery — extraordinarily inexpensive for one of the world’s most iconic hikes.

September is generally the best month to hike Half Dome — combining good weather, reduced crowds, easier permit access, and well-established cable infrastructure. Advantages of September: (1) Cooler temperatures than July-August reduce dehydration risk and improve comfort; (2) Reduced crowds vs peak summer months (school back in session reduces family demand); (3) Better permit lottery odds vs peak summer dates; (4) Lower wildfire smoke risk than late summer; (5) Stable weather with minimal afternoon thunderstorm risk; (6) Beautiful golden light for photography. The second-best month is June — cables freshly installed, lush valley waterfalls, but more weekday weather variability and increased crowds. July-August are the most-crowded and hottest months (Yosemite Valley can hit 95-100°F+), though weather is most stable. May (cables freshly installed) and October (last cable weeks before takedown) are good for very experienced hikers willing to accept variable weather. Avoid: dates immediately before cable installation (May early) or after takedown (October late) without technical climbing skills.

Half Dome offers world-class technical climbing routes for advanced climbers in addition to the cables hiking route. The major technical routes are: (1) Snake Dike — the famous 5.7R route on the southwest face, considered one of the best moderate big wall climbs in North America, an 8-pitch route that combines moderate climbing with serious runouts requiring confident leading; (2) Regular Northwest Face (Regular Route) — the original 1957 big wall route by Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas, 5.9 C1 (clean aid), 23 pitches and 2,000 feet of granite, one of the most famous big wall climbs in the world; (3) Northwest Face Direct — 5.10 A1, a direct line variant; (4) South Face / Tis-sa-ack — 5.9 A3, serious aid climbing; (5) Direct South Face — 5.10 A3+, very serious aid climbing. Climbing Half Dome via the technical routes is a serious undertaking requiring big wall climbing experience, multi-day commitment for the Northwest Face routes (typically 1-3 days), and substantial planning. Snake Dike is the most accessible big wall route on Half Dome and is often climbed car-to-car in a long day by fit climbers. All technical climbing routes require wilderness permits but NOT the cable permits (since climbers bypass the cable route).