Half Dome via Cables

Jake here. Half Dome is the rare Yosemite trail where the hardest part isn't the climb — it's getting the permit, then keeping your head together on the last 120 meters of granite. I've been up the cables four times and the calculus is the same every visit: start absurdly early, watch the sky, and don't be the person on the cables in a thunderstorm.

The trail

From Happy Isles, the route grinds upward immediately. The first few kilometers follow the Mist Trail past Vernal and Nevada Falls, climbing wet granite steps that will be slick with spray well into July. You can take the John Muir Trail variant on the way down to spare your knees — most regulars do. Above Nevada Fall the grade eases through Little Yosemite Valley, a flat, sandy stretch through Jeffrey pines that's the only real breather you'll get.

From the LYV junction the trail climbs steadily through forest, then breaks out onto the shoulder leading to Sub Dome. Sub Dome itself is a brutal, fully exposed staircase cut into the rock — this is where a lot of people quietly turn around. At the top of Sub Dome you get your first honest look at the cables: two parallel steel cables running up roughly 120 meters of polished granite at angles that hit 45–50 degrees near the top. Wooden boards every few meters give you a place to rest your feet. The summit itself is broad, flat, and disorienting in scale — the Diving Board hangs over 1,200 meters of air.

Out-and-back, this is a 23-kilometer day with about 1,460 meters of gain. Twelve hours is realistic. Strong, acclimatized hikers do it faster; first-timers regularly take fourteen.

When to go

The cables are typically up from late May to mid-October, weather depending. The shoulders are your friends:

• Late May / early June: Waterfalls at full volume, Mist Trail genuinely soaking, possible snow on Sub Dome. Cables may go up late after a heavy snow year.
• July–August: Driest rock, longest daylight, but afternoon thunderstorms are routine in the Sierra. If there's any cloud build-up by 10 a.m., you do not get on the cables. Lightning has killed people up there.
• September: The pick if you can get the permit. Stable weather, cooler temps, less spray on the Mist Trail.

What to know before you go

• Permits: Required for everyone on the cables, every day they're up. Preseason lottery runs in March via Recreation.gov, plus a daily lottery two days out. Plan on losing the preseason and trying the daily.
• Parking and start: Trailhead Parking near Happy Isles fills before sunrise in summer. Most people start between 3 and 5 a.m. by headlamp — partly for the heat, mostly to be off the cables before afternoon storms.
• Water: The Merced is reliable along the lower trail, and there's usually a flowing creek in Little Yosemite Valley. Above LYV, treat the next stretch as dry. Carry capacity for at least 3–4 liters and a filter.
• Navigation hazards: The Mist Trail steps in the dark are the most accident-prone section on the way down — wet granite plus tired legs. Sub Dome has no railing; in wind it feels worse than the cables. On the cables themselves, gloves matter — rubber-palmed work gloves are standard, and there's usually a pile at the base left by previous hikers.
• Bears: Standard Yosemite rules. Don't leave food in your car overnight at the valley lots.

What to bring

Sticky-soled trail runners or light hikers — you want grip on polished granite far more than ankle support. Gloves with rubber or leather palms for the cables. A real headlamp with fresh batteries, not a phone light. Sun protection for the upper mountain, where there's no shade from Sub Dome on. A shell, even on a clear morning. More water than you think, plus a filter for refills below LYV. Salty food — twelve hours of climbing burns through electrolytes. And a hard cutoff time: pick a turnaround hour at Sub Dome and honor it regardless of how close the summit looks.

Variations

• Mist Trail up, JMT down: Standard play. Adds a little distance but saves your knees on the descent.
• Glacier Point shuttle finish: Some parties tag Half Dome and continue down the Panorama Trail to Glacier Point for a one-way ~30 km day. Requires a shuttle.
• Overnight in Little Yosemite Valley: A backpacker permit lets you camp at LYV and summit fresh in the morning. Sane option for anyone unsure about a 12-hour push.
• Shorter turnaround: Nevada Fall and back is a respectable day on its own — about a third of the distance, no permit needed, and you still get the best of the Mist Trail.