Peaks · California

Half Dome, 8,842 feet

Yosemite's granite icon, nearly 5,000 feet above the valley floor, with a cables climb at the end that needs its own permit. Here's the trail, the lottery and the safety rules.

Turn your Half Dome photo into a charm

A hiker, seen from behind in a blue jacket, standing on a granite ledge below the Half Dome cables as hikers climb them above — **Real Summit.** Below the Half Dome cables, the full photo as taken.

Half Dome at a glance

Elevation: 8,842 feet, nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley^1,2
Where: Yosemite National Park, managed by the National Park Service²
The trail: 16.2 miles round trip from Happy Isles via the John Muir Trail past Vernal and Nevada Falls, with about 4,830 feet of gain. Most hikers take 10 to 12 hours.^2,3
Cables permit: Required every day the cables are up, normally from the Friday before Memorial Day through the day after the second Monday in October. About 300 hikers a day.⁴
How to get one: A preseason lottery each March, or a daily lottery two days before your hike. $10 to apply plus $10 per person if you win. Backpackers get theirs with their wilderness permit.⁴
Safety: Don't go up when a storm is nearby. The summit is a dangerous place in lightning, and wet rock or cables are the leading cause of fatal falls.²

The cables

The last stretch is a steep climb up the dome's granite on the cables, with hikers strung up the rock like the photo above shows. The Park Service pages don't describe a summit sign, so the photo most people keep is on or below the cables, or on top with the valley behind them.

Getting the photo

Shoot from below the cables so you, the dome and the line of hikers are all in the frame.
Get your whole body in, head to boots.
Take it when the rock is dry and the sky is clear. Never stop on the cables in a storm for a photo.

Half Dome questions

Do you need a permit to hike Half Dome?

Yes, any day the cables are up. Permits come from a preseason lottery in March or a daily lottery two days before your hike, through the National Park Service.

When are the Half Dome cables up?

Normally from the Friday before Memorial Day through the day after the second Monday in October, depending on conditions.

How long is the Half Dome hike?

16.2 miles round trip from Happy Isles via the John Muir Trail, with about 4,830 feet of gain. Most hikers take 10 to 12 hours.

My photo isn't from the very top. Can I still get a charm?

Yes. Any photo from the climb works. We cut it to your outline and never crop or reframe it.

Carry your Half Dome climb

You won the lottery, hiked 16 miles and pulled yourself up the cables. However you got the shot, we cut it to your outline so you can clip that day to your pack and keep it there.

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Sources

National Park Service, Yosemite, Natural resource statistics.
National Park Service, Yosemite, Half Dome.
National Park Service, Yosemite, Yosemite Valley trails.
National Park Service, Yosemite, Half Dome permits.

Cable dates and lottery rules change. Check the National Park Service before you apply. Facts checked October 2026.