Welcome to Travel Tuesday! This hike is probably the closest I got to a near-death experience and I hope to never experience that again. Definitely a gorgeous hike though — come check out my hike up Half Dome!
Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
Distance: 15.6 miles (out + back)
Elevation: 5,652 feet
Difficulty: Difficult
Duration: ~9-12 hours
Trailhead Address: Half Dome Trail, Yosemite National Park, California
Parking: Lot available by the visitor’s center
We camped at Curry Village the night before and walked to the trailhead (0.75 miles from Curry Village)!
This hike is super super popular and although well-marked, it’s not an easy one, so if you’re out of shape or unprepared, I’d advise against doing it. Make sure you check sunrise/sunset times prior to your hike + bring a light with you! 
It’s best to leave early in the morning, and you’ll definitely want shoes/boots with good traction/support. I’d recommend bringing plenty of water (the only treated water is a drinking fountain ~1 mile into the hike at the Vernal Fall Footbridge).
While the cables are up, permits are required to hike to the very top of Half Dome 7 days/week! This is in order to protect the wilderness, improve safety + reduce crowding, as this is a super popular hike. The cables are usually up from the Friday before Memorial Day to the Columbus Day. My friend managed to snag a permit via the lottery for the day before the cables went down! You can find out more about the lottery system here! 
How much of the above advice did I actually follow? I came down with a horrible case of food poisoning the week and was basically only eating one meal a day for the week leading up to the hike.
Depleted electrolytes + not drinking enough water (I was scared of throwing up again, haha) = terrible leg cramps for the majority of this hike. (So don’t do what I did!)
Long story short, I fell during the cable portion of the hike due to one particularly painful cramp while I was almost at the top. I managed to hang onto one of the poles on the side to avoid knocking everyone behind me down. An EMT at the top came down to check on me and everything. ._. I was super embarrassed, but thankfully not dead. :[
You may see black bears! They’ll usually leave you alone – if you’re in a group, don’t try to threaten it, but do make a lot of noise and stand together so you look bigger/more intimidating. Keep your food with you and never leave it unattended. Improper food storage + feeding wildlife can result in a fine of up to $5000.
Sorry for the blurriness! You wanna keep wildlife wild, so I took this (+ the bear) photos from afar and zoomed in!
Despite the fall and the very unpleasant leg cramps I had for 75% of this hike, it was still well worth it! The views were absolutely gorgeous and it was for-sure character building!
P.S. Gloves would be a great idea for the cable portion of this hike! (The cables kinda eat away at your hands.) The granite is pretty slippery and steep, so again, shoes/boots with good traction will make your hike a lot more pleasant!
We survived!!!
- Have you ever been to Yosemite?
- Have you ever hiked Half Dome?
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Half Dome is the hardest hike I’ve ever done. I made it up to the top once in 2008. It took 13 hours and we came down in the dark, which was terrifying. When I tried again in 2009, I got leg cramps so I didn’t make it to the top. I’m glad you’re ok!
It’s definitely a tough one!! That’s awesome that you did it in 08!! (It was definitely dark by the time we went down too!) I did nottt realize leg cramps could get that bad, haha. :[ Silly me, but thank you! I’m glad to be alive + glad I didn’t drag anyone down with me!
Wow! At first, I was thinking I could do it. Then I scrolled down and the people looked like tiny ants climbing the mountain. I’ll just have to enjoy looking at other people’s pictures.
Lynda recently posted…Things to Eat in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach
It definitely looks intimidating from the bottom, but it was so worth it to get to the top (if a bit unnerving when turning back to look down…hehehe)!
Yikes! I’m sorry to hear about your fall, but I’m so glad you made it and had such a great time. It’s ALWAYS worth it when you get to the top! ❤️
Thanks! I’m super glad too–it was definitely worth it!! :]
Farrah recently posted…Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
Wow, glad you made it! What an amazing accomplishment. I don’t think it’s something I could do, the cable portion sounds terrifying haha
Alisha Mansfield recently posted…Hike Black Point Fissures: Slot canyons, Epic Views, & Volcanic Rocks
haha, it definitely looked unnerving, especially looking up from the bottom (and down from the top)!
Eeeep!! I am glad you were okay, but blooming ‘eck! It must have been terrifying to have to grab the cable and not drop down from such a height! It sounds like a long hike! The elevation is 5,652ft, but how much of that do you have to gain in a day!? It sounds like a huge amount of climbing anyway!
Thanks! I’m glad too, hehe. I think there’s a 4800ft elevation gain altogether, so it was a good workout! :P
Farrah recently posted…Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
Wow, glad you were okay! I think this might be a little too challenging for me. Thank you for the heads up.
Ummi | Ummi Goes Where? recently posted…One Day in Vaduz, Liechtenstein – Best Things to Do on a Day Trip
Thank you! It was a fun hike, but definitely challenging!
Whew, just reading this wears me out. I’m so glad you’re okay though – slipping had to have been pretty scary! It does look beautiful though. Thanks for sharing!
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…#SaveProdigalSon: What You Can Do As a Fan (or Potential Fan)
Thanks! My first panic was if I’d roll down and bowling-pin everyone behind me. :'( So glad that didn’t happen!!
Wow! What an experience! Your pictures are fabulous. So glad you’re okay, and you loved it despite the leg cramps and fall. I’d put this on my list to do, but I’m in nowhere good enough shape for that. I appreciate you candor in rating the difficulty!
Thanks! It was definitely worth it despite the fall — but definitelyyyy would recommend staying well hydrated. It was a beautiful hike
Farrah recently posted…Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
Half Dome at Yosemite looks and sounds like a challenging yet rewarding hike. So sorry for the mishaps and the cramps. So impressive that you worked through it. Great tips!
kmf recently posted…The best hiking trails within 50 miles of Duluth, MN
Definitely a good way to describe it–challenging + rewarding. I was pretty worried about not being able to make it down (or cramping up on the way down), but thankfully I made it out ok!
Wow I’m glad to hear that you’re okay after your fall! It does look like a challenging hike so well done. I now added this to my list of challenging hikes!
Thank you! It was definitely one of the more difficult hikes I’ve done, but so worth it! :]
This hike looks intense, but really fun. And those views are incredible. I can’t believe you see so much wildlife, that’s really cool. I never seem to see anything more than the odd chipmunk when I hike.
Definitely intense, but so, so worth it for all the views! <3 It was awesome to get to see the wildlife from kinda-afar too!
We only saw Half Dome from a distance when we visited. But when we zoomed in we saw people hiking up. We wished we had the time to enjoy that. Although it might be more challenging than I bargained for. Especially if we ran into any black bears!
It’s a great hike, but definitely more on the challenging side. Thankfully the bear kept its distance!
I had a friend that was very athletic, triatholons, swimming a race in the San Francisco Bay where Great White Sharks are, but when she was just a little bit up, she turned around. Said it scared the heck out of her!
Whoa, that’s hardcore!! I can’t say I’ve done any of that but will admit I was definitely pretty apprehensive about climbing this thing. 😅 I think there are different thresholds for everything!
Farrah recently posted…Cataract Falls Trail
I’ve been to Yosemite, but not since the early 80’s. I remember staring up in wonder at Half Dome, but don’t remember the hike up the side being an option. We could have easily just missed it… I”m pretty sure I wouldn’t have the nerve to do it today!
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Weekly RunDown May 30 – June 5 / A Few Days of Cardio Downtime
I don’t know when it became an option but it definitely wasn’t this crowded before (per other friends who did it earlier than a couple years ago, hehe).
Farrah recently posted…Discovery Point Trail in Crater Lake National Park
I would’ve loved to do it, thanks for sharing! I’ve been there in 2018, but didn’t have time to plan this incredible hike. Must go again!!
Kev recently posted…The BEST Place to Stay in Valencia for Nightlife (updated for 2021)
Ooo, yay! I hope you get to go back someday to do this one! :D
I love Yosemite and have done several spectacular hikes in the park. Half Dome is high on my list of hikes I’d like to do. Although I think I would need to train before attempting such a long hike. Congrats for finishing the hike!
Thank you! It was a fun one for sure — I hope you get to do it sometime! :]
Farrah recently posted…Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle