When I did this hike this past June, I learned a tip from the ranger checking permits (she was stationed right at the bottom of the cables): Going up, go arm over arm on the right cable - don't try to hold onto both cables. Going down, go arm over arm on the left cable while facing uphill (i.e. descend backwards). Arm over arm on one cable is much easier and much faster than trying to hold onto both cables. Going up took an hour because of traffic jams; going down took maybe 15 minutes and even part of that was waiting for traffic. It had been 40 years since I was last on Half Dome, so it was great to get back there this summer!
This was a super reasonable and helpful video. I just hiked this last week and even though I watched the videos, understood that photographs and video are bad at conveying scale, and prepared for 3 months for this, I was shocked at how massive and scary the sub dome and cables were. Pictures truly do not accurately reflect how insane and majestic this looks when you get there in person. It was also hard for me to train at elevation and I was feeling it at 8500+ feet. I managed by truly taking one step at a time, evaluating how I felt, and resting on the wood crossbars. Don’t look up or down, don’t look left or right unless you know you won’t get vertigo or have a panic attack. Repel backwards down the left side. Hand over hand up the right. Finishing this felt amazing. I wouldn’t trade the experience even though it pushed me harder than anticipated.
@@Christina0925 I’m not sure how to take that. It’s an almost 20 mile round trip hike with a 5k foot climb. And you get to climb the cables after already hiking close to 10 miles with 4K+ feet climb, so it’s not safe to climb exhausted. So yeah, you should take some time and be in very good condition.
I hiked half dome back in 1992 I was in 6th grade. We started in the early am just as the sun was rising. About 18 miles round trip. ( Up and down) we stopped at the second falls for lunch. Going up the cables was crazy no straps to anchor you while you climbed, just your hands and feet. Everyone goes up or down in the same 3 feet of space those going up must step to side for those going down. There is a few boards going across various sections of the cables to assist you while ascending or descending the cables. Don't look down!! You don't realize how step it is until you accidentally do look down while climbing but once you reach the top it's amazing how big it is on top and how far you can see. Most beautiful thing I ever seen. We reached the bottom around dinner time after spending about an hour on top. If you get a chance to get a pass to go do so(there was no pass needed when I went at 12yrs old) we carried my uncle who was quadriplegic up to vernal falls in 95/96 a week before the big rock slide. Crazy how it had changed so much after it happened. Still one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
I just wanted to thank you for your “How to Hike Half Dome” guide. It was the most thorough collection of information regarding the big hike and was an amazing resource to have on the trail. My girlfriend and I saved it as PDF and put it on our phones, so when we had moments of confusion during the hike, we pulled out the PDF and went on our way. It was a lifesaver!! Really appreciate your work! Thank you!
Your video brought back FUN memories of Sept 1985........I was working and living in Yosemite........my best friend and I made plans to climb Half Dome......when we told the minister of the Church of Christ in El Portal,{ where we attended}that we were going to climb Half Dome he said " Can I go with you?".........a few days later the 3 of us began our exciting day long hike and climb.......in the 80s it wasn't crowded on the cables .....we only saw 2 other people..........we walked slowly and carefully........no safety straps or anything........just used our hands and feet......going down the cables was easier for me than going up........one thing we all forgot to bring was a flashlight........the view from the top is amazing.........really beautiful.........I remember seeing a chipmunk at the top.........it was one of the best days of my life............back in the 80s you didn't need a permit or anything.......you could climb any day and time you wanted
Such a thorough and helpful video. I had never hiked Half Dome and your content and detail made me feel much more prepared and comfortable to do it (successfully!) about three weeks ago. It was a challenging, beautiful, and completely worthwhile climb! Thank you for taking the time to put the video together (I'm heading to Venmo now...) One tip I'd love to add for anyone using a Via Ferrata harness - which I highly recommend for both peace of mind and safety - is to keep the carabiner(s) in front of your hand as you slide it up the cable rather than dragging them behind. You can keep better track of the carabiners, don't have to reach behind you to access them, and you won't accidentally scare yourself if you forget to temporarily unclip when it you reach one of the poles and feel like you're getting yanked backwards. =) Thank you, Hiking Guy!
I've done Half Dome a few times, and enjoyed the hike each time. The cables are mesmerizing and the greatest hiking experience I've had. On one of my hike I counted the granite steps at Vernal Falls and I counted at least 850 of them. Then I realized why one of our hiking party refused to go back that way. At the time I was so wet, I was distracted from the step pain. Great video and I will probably watch it a few more times.
Thank you & glad you enjoyed the video. And yea, I went down the steps once and said it wasn't worth it. I can get a good pace going down all the JMT switchbacks and it's not much longer. And I can focus on the beer I'm going to drink at the bottom as opposed to watching my footing...
Summited yesterday. The best (and scariest) hike I have ever done, and this video guide and your article was immensely helpful. So thank you sir 🙏 Now most hikes which are said to be hard/scary turn out to be only moderately hard in real life as video/pics makes it looks worse. Not this one. The cables are as intimidating as seen in the video/pictures and I was surprised despite being completely ready (mentally and physically).
Just came here after hearing about the 20 year old falling down the cables. Makes no sense to me that people do this without a safety harness. Completely unnecessary death of a young woman.
At the very least, have the weather tracked at all times and shut them down if rain is coming. I believe they went up and it started raining on the way down. I know weather is unpredictable. But I'm sure they can at least try to meet people off if rain is expected
@@GeneralOffice-vt3uy I’ve hiked half dome 3 times and never used a harness. All depends on the shoes and physical condition. But out of all the physical attributes the weather. Weather is the thing that makes it tricky for people. No matter how skilled you are.
I've never done the hike, but it seems (from all the pics) that the most incredible thing is that you were the only one climbing the cables. Another enjoyable video, Thanks!
I blew out my left knee, tearing 3 out of 4 ligaments while snow skiing. Had ACL surgery in 2014. I now snow ski, play tennis and backpack with a knee brace. When my brother and I climb the Half Dome, we will be using a Via Ferrata. Not because of fear, but because I don’t trust others people on the cables.
The best video I've seen on this hike - very comprehensive with great tips. I'll never make the hike myself so it's a treat to experience it through others like you. 💯
I’m terrified of heights but I will always try to do hikes like these, even though seeing it on video makes me nauseous. Seriously I almost feel like passing out during the climb and descent part of the video
Thank you for this video! I think i just got more motivation to do this! I did angels landing in 2021 and that was my first ever big hike. I think i can do this. 😊
I'd recommend getting your lottery picks in. My wife and I submitted our max alloted and only got 1 day of all our picks. Still thankful we get to do it!
Just seen your comment and yes we are a group of 5 that are planning for this hike. We all applied for the lottery, I applied on the last day before it closed 😅 and my fiance was the lucky one to get the permit. Sept 4th is our day 😊 @2fox76
Wow! That is some hike and some amazing views. I think going down is scarier than going up! Don't think I would go up if I saw that line of people ahead of me already marching up the wire!! Yikes!!! More power to those of you that have no problem doing this type of hike. What a beautiful area. Thanks for sharing this video!!
I got a 3 day pass, hiked to sub Dome, found someone with a spare permit within 5 minutes. If you want to do Half Dome just get up there and you will get a permi😊
Wow!!! I didn’t know there were cables for this hike. I had no idea this was possible without being a climber! I am super afraid of heights and my feet and hands were sweating just watching this video, but I like to challenge myself and not let my fears limit my life. I am so excited! Now I know what to train for!!! Thank you for this video!!!!!!!!!
I'm right there with ya. It's amazing that videos make our hands sweat. I watched Free Solo and I'm sure I aged about 20 years of stress during that documentary lol
Thanks so much, particularly the GPS section from 6.10 to 10.30. Very helpful to see how it really is. I've been up to the summit few times. First time was in 2004 or 2005 (Memorial day) and few more times when permit were not required. Now I'm 74 and will get back up there again with or without permit.
You're welcome and glad it was helpful. I can't imagine what it was like on Memorial Day before permits, hopefully you weren't in a traffic jam. And yea, get back and do it again, I see folks in their 70s there all the time. Once I met a guy in his 80s who did it every year for quite a while. Really incredible.
Good job. I've hiked the Mt Baldy trail as you described. Back in the 60s there were 2in galvanized pipes in concrete on the Devil's Backbone section. But some were bent over 90 degrees. They're gone now in your video. Lots of great hikes in and around there like; Cucamonga Peak, Ontario Peak, the Three Ts all out of Ice House Canyon. Three Ts might require a car shuttle back to starting point. Thank you very much. Brings back fond memories.
Ha thanks, yea, I go into more detail on the cables in the guide too. Just trying to demystify it so that people understand the experience and can conquer any anxiety.
Best hike I’ve ever done. Great video. I wish I had this before I hiked. We did JMT on the way up, and the mist trail was really tough on my knees! Overall, a memorable hike.
This is so helpful! I like the idea of having a harness on you for added peace of mind. I would bring one up just incase I wanted to use it. I was also curious how far you could go up the trail without a permit and you answered that for me. From what I gathered, you do not need a permit for a good bulk of the trail. The permit is only required once you reach the sub dome.
Yup, you can go to the sub-dome without a permit. Check out the link in the description - I have a strategy for getting a permit by waiting at the sub-dome if you don't have a permit. 👍
I’ve backpacked to Little Yosemite Valley and camped for a night from Happy Isles, Lake Tenaya over Clouds Rest, and from Glacier Point via the Panorama Trail. The next morning, starting out at 6 am, I reach the cables by 8 am and practically have them all to myself. All of these approaches require a permit to stay in Little Yosemite Valley and to go up the cables.
Nice, I've actually done the same route and it's epic. I've found it's easier to grab the add-on permit for the cables when you have a backcountry, but that's purely anecdotal. Glad you got to experience that route.
Ha yea, there's usually a sweet spot about an hour after dawn when the early birds are done and the later folks are still hiking. Not always, but sometimes I get lucky.
Oh My Goodness!!!!😮😲😧🥴🙂🥰🥰🤩🥰🤗 SOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!! My father would take us on these kind of hikes & I Lov seeing this films!! Cant do the hike now but THIS is the next best thing🥰🥰Being Outside in Nature is the BEST!!!❣❣❣❤❤💯💯
What a useful video! I had a vague idea of what hiking Half Dome involved from talking to others. This video gave me the information I needed to start planning my first trip.
I last did this hike (in full) in 1978, but I remember every point of the trail like it was yesterday. Watching the video here I remember things like seeing a rattlesnake there, or taking a break over there, finding a spring over there, and so on. Hopefully I'll get back there this year!
Nice, and yea, that happens to me too, I remember small details like that. Hope you get out there soon. Check out the link in the description for permit tips, you can usually nab one short-term if you didn't get one already.
If you can get up and down half dome before 9am, there is a good chance you will not see a ranger and therefore not need a permit. Its goofy they ask you on the way out if you get there before they do but I honestly don't know what that little ranger girl could do if you just ignore her on the way out, especially if you are headed towards Clouds Rest and SunRise lake.
Thank you so much for your work. That hike has been on my bucket list as soon as I found out about it! Would like to check out some of the the other Yosemite hikes as well.
You're welcome, and yea, lots of great hikes at Yosemite, if you can't get a permit for Half Dome, def do Clouds Rest, another classic that doesn't require a permit. 👍
I wish I would've seen this video before my hike in 2020. I watched the Park Service's official video and there was no mention of the importance of super-grippy shoes and grippy gloves for the cables; they only mentioned traction only for the Mist Trail. Maybe because I knew the Mist Trail was closed, I didn't pay a lot of attention to that. Regardless, I was basically OK with my Brooks Cascade trail-running shoes but my son was not OK with his name-brand hiking boots; the soles were too hard and they kept slipping. He was super-freaked out but made it. I brought cheap leather gloves which weren't very grippy (I only assumed gloves were to protect the hands), so I had difficulty pulling myself up with them. Why doesn't the NPS emphasize the importance of traction and glove grip in their official video? I found descending face-forward easiest, with my body leaned out so it was perpendicular to the rock face, sliding my gloves on the cables to control my descent. It felt like "walking down the mountain". But I soon was stopped by the traffic jams. In September I'm going again, from a camp in LYV, so I intend to get to the cables around sunrise to avoid the traffic jams.
Ha yea, there's def some anxiety involved for most people, but that said, I've seen tons of folks of all shapes, sizes, ages, etc. do this, so you can too!
Those cables are a lot better than what was there in the 90’s. And there was no limits to the people on that trail so we stuck on the cables with both people going up and down.,
I visited Yosemite & was blown away by anyone who was brave enough to climb half dome. I was curious about what happens when climbers going up, meet climbers coming down. Is there enough space for 2 people to pass at the same time?
Thank you for your guides!! The details and how thorough you are really has calmed my nerves. My boyfriend surprised me this morning with the news our lottery was chosen and we go in 3 weeks! I’ve been anxious all day because I’m afraid of heights. Your detailed guides and information on the via Ferratta have reduced my anxiety from a 10 to a 3.5! lol. So now I’m actually looking forward to it. Do you know the best time to leave? How long does it take to get to the cables?
Congrats and thank you! Most folks get to the sub-dome in around 3-4 hours, and just from anecdotal experience, it's busy around sunrise and few hours after and then there's a lull later in the morning. I've also been there in the afternoon (3pm) and I've had it to myself. You can always just hang out at the base until it gets less crowded too.
@@Hikingguy well within a day hike range for me. been locating/rebuilding a trail for the forest service last two months with my 64s, two days ago fired up my new 66i WOW! the screen resolution
Thank you so much for your awesome guide. I used it extensively in my preparation and I knew exactly what to expect and how to prepare for the hike. It was spot on! My only recommendation for other people is that it’s better to camp or stay near Yosemite as it’s hard to drive after such a long hike; I drove from San Jose to Yosemite at like 3am and then returned home at 12:30am. Very tiring! Another thing that I noticed is that when I returned down from the peak, there were no rangers stationed at subdome (at around 2:30 pm). I presume they leave at that time so if you don’t have a permit you may try to wait for after hours like 3pm; the downside being your return journey will be in the dark. This was one of the most strenuous hikes that I did, and I am really grateful to you Cris for this guide. It actually made me even more enthusiastic about hiking and I am going to try your other guides of backpacking and a multi-day hike that I’ve never done before. I wish you would make some hiking guides for the east coast like Blue Ridge or Shenendoah. I so wish that I lived in California as the there are so many beautiful hiking spots. Thanks once again!
Glad you got to enjoy it and yea, I feel your pain with the drive. It's something I have to do more often than not for other hikes. I have the east coast on my radar, just a matter of getting the time to do them - I used to hike there quite a bit until I moved to CA - stay tuned...
I did all possible during winter months. I would love summer to get in half dome. My last time out there I carried two granite bowling balls home from upper yosemite falls base. I still own them.one of my favorite spots on this planet.
Tremendous video, and I will check out the linked article. Thanks for great detail. Just returned from my first trip to Yosemite, blown away, can't wait to go back. One of our hikes was just above Vernal Falls on Mist, back down on JMT, now my life project is to go back and do Half Dome. What is the general schedule when the cables are "down" versus "up"? I will wear a harness and tether to the cable. I'm thinking use of a prussik loop is more of a pain than a help on the cables. Hope to come in Spring 2022 when the falls are roaring. Thanks!
I probably wouldn't try it first time with cables down. Check out the link in the article for a whole slew of info on the cables including up/down times. I'd wait until they open in May and go for it then, it's a fun one 👍
Thank you 🙏 - Spring is a great time, crowds are reasonable and the streams are flowing. If you want to do some higher peaks and want to avoid snow, Fall is the move
The weather is the consideration for this hike. Half dome gets the largest number of lightning strikes in the park. There is no cover up there. Even a 20 percent chance of a pop up with any cumulous overhead would be a no go for me
I’ll never see it, height, and steepness of that cable run is just too much, and people have perished there. I understand we take risks every day, mostly from necessity, but this is voluntary, anyway nice to watch you do it.
Love all your videos and information: priceless Question though. Do you have a good link for AllTrails correct hiking trail for the cables hike from Curry Village? There are so many on there and I find it hard to find the correct one to follow where I won't get lost. I'm ordering the NatGeo Map for Yosemite as well. Thanks for any link or info!
You can use the GPX file on my site, download it and then import it into AllTrails (create new map). Otherwise this one is good: www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/half-dome-via-the-john-muir-trail-jmt?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map
We're planning on starting the hike at 3AM. I've heard that it's dangerous to navigate the Mist Trail in the dark? Do you recommend taking the John Muir trail up in the dark or do you think the Mist Trail is ok to hike on?
Congrats! And Mist Trail is fine in the dark, have done it many times. Have a good headlamp, we're a rain shell, and watch your footing and you'll be fine.
How tf does it hold that many people of the poles aren’t even in the ground!! WHAT!! You’d think with all that weight all the poles would just rip and fall right over
Wish I would’ve hiked more around Yosemite when I lived closer (Grizzley Flats in the ‘80s). Is that a Casio Pro Trek watch you’re wearing? If so…I have the exact same one (hunter orange/drab green).
Hi! So I’m not sure if you’ll even see this but my sister and I are planning to hike half dome on Tuesday but we were not lucky enough to win the daily lottery. I am planning to do the permit jumping but am curious what exactly it entails. How do you go about asking to get onto open spots? Do you have to pay the permit price still? Any tips you have would be GREATLY appreciated since this is my first half dome adventure of my 30s! My goal is to hike it every year of this decade and I really need this trip to work out 🤞 Thank you so much and I appreciate all of your half dome tips! I bought the shoes you recommended also!
HikingGuy or Anyone with Half Dome experience. At what point in the day would you say the Dome part of the hike becomes "busy"? If you couldn't make it early in the morning would it be advisable to come in the evening? We got a permit for June of 2021 and are wanting to make the most of our day!
