Tag Archives: Half Dome

Activities, National Parks

Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Permits Required Seven Days Per Week to Hike Half Dome Cables 

Half Dome cables day use permits for the 2014 hiking season will be available for reservation starting tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, through Monday, March 31, 2014. Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required seven days per week and reservations will be distributed via a lottery system. Successful parties will be notified in mid-April. A maximum of 300 hikers will be allowed on the Half Dome cables per day.

Reservations for the permits can be made online at www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.

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Activities, Hiking - General, National Parks

Amusing Planet on Half Dome, The Granite Peak at Yosemite National Park

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Amusing Planet posted a blog with GREAT pictures about Half Dome and the joys of hiking to the top.

From the article:

The trail starts with a 13.7 km hike, followed by a rigorous 3.2 km approach including several hundred feet of granite stairs. The final 400-foot ascent up the peak’s steep but somewhat rounded east face is ascended with the aid of a pair of post-mounted braided steel cables raised on posts that lead to the breath-taking summit. This cable route was constructed close to the Anderson route in 1919 by the Sierra Club for visitors who have no rock climbing ability or equipment. Following the Half Dome Cables Trail is a unique experience, and it has become one of the most popular hikes in Yosemite National Park. As many as 1,000 hikers per day have sometimes climbed the dome on a summer weekend, and about 50,000 hikers climb it every year.

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Hiking - General, National Forests, National Parks

Lottery for Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Now Open!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

While there are up to 300 hikers allowed on the Half Dome cables per day, there are far MORE people who want to hike the route. The permit lottery is now open. If you want to hike Half Dome, sign up at www.recreation.gov or call 1-877-444-6777.

You can also sign up for the two-day-in-advance permits through www.recreation.gov.

From the press release:

Hiking to the top of Half Dome is one of the most popular hikes in Yosemite National Park. The iconic granite monolith, at 8,842 feet above sea level, attracts people from all over the world who attempt to climb to the summit. Most visitors ascend Half Dome via the cables, which are typically in place from mid-May through mid-October. Most visitors begin and end their hike at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. This is an approximately 17 mile round-trip journey.

Remember: Permits Required Seven Days Per Week to Hike Half Dome Cables. Continue reading →