Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite with Henry Golding
Kraig AdamsJul 2023 · With friends · hiked it 2 times
- Days
- 2 days
- Cost
- about 140
- Lodging
- Tent
North America · United States
Half Dome
Yosemite, California
- Distance
- 24.8 mi39.9 km
- Days
- 2 days
- Elevation gain
- 4,134 ft1,260 m
- High point
- 8,825 ft2,690 m
- Season
- The cables are normally up from the…
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / North America / Half Dome
At the end of July 2023 I hiked to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California, over two days with Henry Golding. We started at Glacier Point, walked down the Panorama Trail past Illilouette Fall and Nevada Fall to the backpackers' camp in Little Yosemite Valley, and set up our tents. That evening we climbed the sub-dome and the cables and stood on the summit in the evening light, with the sun going down, then came back to camp by headlamp. The next morning we walked down past Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall to Yosemite Valley. By my GPS it was 24.8 miles (39.9 km) in two days. It's the trip from my film Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite with Henry Golding.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Hard · about 12 mi (20 km) and 2,067 ft (630 m) of climbing a day over 2 days, up to 8,825 ft (2,690 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation3,970–8,822 ft24.8 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
The film
Watch it first
Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite with Henry Golding
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Glacier Point, 7,186 ft (2,190 m) by my GPS
- Finish
- Yosemite Valley, near Yosemite Valley Lodge, 3,977 ft (1,212 m) by my GPS
- Usual difficulty
- The miles are fine. The cables are the hard part: two steel cables up a steep granite slope, with wooden boards to stand on. In my 2019 film I said, "I'll be honest, I was a little nervous to climb this." If you're scared of heights, walk up the sub-dome first and decide there.
- Best time
- The cables are normally up from the Friday before Memorial Day to the day after the second Monday in October. I went July 26 and 27, 2023, and in June 2019
- Permits
- A wilderness permit, a Half Dome permit when the cables are up, a bear canister, park entry
- Getting there
- To Yosemite Valley. I flew into San Francisco (SFO), rented a car and drove in, stopping for groceries on the way. Without a car, YARTS buses run to the Valley all year on Highway 140 from Merced, where Amtrak's San Joaquins trains stop, and in summer on Highway 41 from Fresno. Amtrak tickets to Merced or Fresno can include the YARTS leg. From Merced: $22 one way, $44 round trip, plus $1 (2026); winter times run to May 28, 2027.
- Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What Kraig carried
my Hyperlite pack · a tent · Jetboil stove · Katadyn BeFree AC · 1L · a sun hoodie · gloves · headlamps · a bear canister and 14 more.
Bookings and permits
When bookings open, from the sources named under each. Dates move: confirm on the official site.
Half Dome cables permit: the preseason lottery
Apply March 1 to 31 (eastern time); results by email in mid-April. A smaller daily lottery runs two days ahead (apply midnight to 4 p.m. Pacific). Backpackers can add the permit to a wilderness permit.
Next: Mar 1, 2027 to Mar 31, 2027
Book on recreation.gov.
Source: Kraig Adams's Half Dome guide: Permits (checked on the NPS pages Oct 10, 2026). Checked October 2026.
Alert me when bookings open
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 911. Don't count on a phone signal.
Phone signal
- Don't count on it.
- Hikers report little or none below the falls and some at the sub-dome and summit (as reported).
Insurance
- The National Park Service pays for search and rescue from its own funds.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley and Half Dome. The top of the sub-dome. Look at the sky and at the cables from there. If there's any chance of a storm, rain, or wet rock, or anyone in your group isn't sure about the cables, this is where you stop: it's a great view on its own, and the way back is easy.
- Day 2, Little Yosemite Valley to Yosemite Valley. Not much to decide on this day: it's downhill all the way. If the Mist Trail steps are closed (Monday to Thursday daytimes in October 2026) or too wet, take the John Muir Trail from the top of Nevada Fall, or from the top of Vernal Fall as I did.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 2 trips, 2 days, about $140, tent.
Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite with Henry Golding
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Typical: 2 days (the hike's facts).
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Planning questions about Half Dome, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Half Dome?
Two for me. Many people do Half Dome as one long day hike from the Valley instead: the NPS says 14 to 16 miles and 10 to 12 hours. See Other ways to do it.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Half Dome cost?
One person, two days, from the Valley, with the Glacier Point bus up: about $140.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Half Dome?
The cables are normally up from the Friday before Memorial Day to the day after the second Monday in October. I went July 26 and 27, 2023, and in June 2019.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Half Dome?
Yes, whenever the cables are up, seven days a week. Get one in the preseason lottery in March or the daily lottery two days ahead ($10 to apply plus $10 a person), or, as a backpacker, add it to your wilderness permit at pickup for $10 a person. The NPS allows at most 300 hikers a day (as of October 2026).
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How long is the Half Dome hike?
The NPS gives 14 to 16 miles round trip from Yosemite Valley with about 4,800 feet of climbing. My two-day route from Glacier Point, with a night in Little Yosemite Valley, was 24.8 miles (39.9 km) by my GPS.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When are the Half Dome cables up?
Normally from the Friday before Memorial Day to the day after the second Monday in October (NPS). In 2026 they came down on October 13 and, as of November 2026, are down for the season; 2027 dates weren't announced in October 2026.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Can you hike Half Dome in two days?
Yes. With a wilderness permit from Glacier Point or Happy Isles you spend the first night in the Little Yosemite Valley campground and climb Half Dome from there. I did it from Glacier Point in July 2023 and reached the summit in the evening light, as the sun went down.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need gloves for the Half Dome cables?
The NPS says many people find sturdy gloves very helpful, and asks you to pack them out. I used them both times I climbed the cables.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is the Mist Trail open?
In October 2026 the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Fall was open Fridays to Sundays and on holidays, for repair work; the John Muir Trail is the way around it. Check the NPS conditions page before you go.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.