What To Do in Yosemite: Hike to the Top of Half Dome (with a Side-trip to Clouds Rest)

{on top of Half Dome for the 4th time}

We've been back from our Yosemite vacation for over a week now, but indulge me in one last post about our trip, will you? This year's trip to Yosemite meant one thing: it was time for D to do the Half Dome hike. Perhaps the most popular (and in the past overcrowded) hike in the park (at least in terms of hikes easily accessible from the Valley), this hike is also no joke. Prior to this year's trip, I had hiked to the top of Half Dome three times. Twice by myself during the summer I interned at Glacier Point, and once with my Dad and brother as part of my Dad's 60th birthday celebration. The first two hikes occurred within three weeks of each other; the first time I hiked to the top, none of my photos turned out. (Ah, the good old days of film.) So, in order to "prove" that I had been there, I hiked it again to get photographic evidence. This second trip also added some good fodder to my evening sunset talks at Glacier Point, so it was all worth the effort. 

{from my 2nd ascent}

While the first two times I hiked to Half Dome via Happy Isles (i..e, from the Valley), when I hiked to Half Dome again in 2006 with my Dad and brother, we started from Glacier Point and hiked around to Half Dome via the Panorama Trail. (An alternative that adds a couple of miles to the hike's total length, but reduces the total amount of vertical climbing.) 

{from my 3rd ascent in celebration of my Dad's 60th birthday}

D and I also opted to start our hike from Glacier Point. In addition to reducing that vertical climb, it is in and of itself a really beautiful hike, and given the trail's name, it should come as no surprise that it offers excellent panoramic views of the Valley below and the cliff walls surrounding it.

Our trip to Half Dome actually started 24 weeks before we arrived in the park, when we applied for a wilderness permit. Since overnight camping itineraries that logically include Half Dome are automatically awarded the necessary Half Dome permits, we figured that camping for one night would be an easier option than hoping we received a Half Dome permit through the lottery system (or trying to score a permit 24-hours before our planned hike). Our wilderness permit came through without a hitch (as mentioned, we planned to start at Glacier Point, then overnight at the Little Yosemite Valley campground, and exit the following day via Happy Isles in the Valley). 

We kept our gear fairly light -- just our lightweight sleeping bags (mine is similar to this one), our tent, and our daypacks (mine is similar to this one), and a few layering items. To save on weight, we opted to purchase ready-made food (e.g., sandwiches, trail mix, Clif bars, and the like) instead of bringing along our cooking gear (stove, pots, utensils, etc.). We also skipped on bringing our water filter and instead bought some iodine tablets. (Not the tastiest option, but the least bulky!) I of course also brought along my camera and iPhone (no service, just for photo-taking capabilities). 

When I hiked with my Dad and brother, my Mom dropped us off at the trailhead, and then she drove the car down to the Valley, where we would be picked up later that evening. For this year's hike, D and I hitched a ride along with my parents, who would be hiking the Panorama Trail down the the Valley. Once down, they would meet up with my brother and sister-in-law, who would drive them back to Glacier Point to retrieve their car before making their way back to Tenaya Lodge for the night. Otherwise, you could leave your car up at Glacier Point, and then take a hiker's bus back up from the Valley to retrieve it. As the hiker's bus doesn't run all day long, that's not the most convenient option, so it is nice to have friends or family available to ferry you around. Alternately, you could of course return via the Panorama Trail, but I have to say I enjoy having a trail that just goes "down-down-down" rather than one that would require a bit of an "up-up-up" at the end.

D and I started our hike around 11:45a on Monday morning. Though the sky was a bit overcast, I don't think we ever felt any raindrops. We arrived at Nevada Fall around 2:25p, where we stopped for a short lunch break and rest, before continuing on the additional mile to the Little Yosemite Valley (LYV) campground. Once in the campground around 4p, we set up our tent and explored the area a bit. The one downside of traveling light was that we didn't bring along any entertainment (books, cards, etc.), so having arrived at the campground so early, we were a little bored. We wiled away the time with a little naptime.

{our spot in the campground}

After a quick dinner (so much faster when you're not actually cooking anything!), we decided to hike back to Nevada Fall to take in the views. On our way out of the campground, we spotted a cinnamon-colored black bear moseying along the edge of the forest. Clearly the rangers weren't exaggerating when they said that bears are quite active in LYV! 

{hanging out at Nevada Fall}


Following a few photo ops at the Fall, we returned to the campground and, with nothing much else to do, called it a night around 9p. I popped in my ear plugs and slept fairly soundly; apparently there was a bit of bear activity in the campground that I managed to sleep through. Though everyone is required to store their food and other "smellables" in the provided storage lockers, apparently the bears still like to go around and jingle the chains to make sure they are secure. D told me tales of hearing chains rattling, then the "zzzzzzzip!" of tents being opened and flashlights shooting about to scare off the bears. None of the bears happened to meander around our tent; the one bonus of camping smack-dab in the middle of a huge campground. 

We awoke around 5:30a Tuesday morning, and after a simple breakfast by the river, we were on the trail to Half Dome by about 6:15a. After just under two hours of hiking, we reached the cables. Given our early start, we didn't see many other people on the trail. Though this was my fourth time doing it, for me, the cable portion doesn't get any easier. (The cable route is about 400 feet in length, and requires you to haul yourself up the (slick) side of Half Dome, at an angle approaching 45-degrees. It's a little intense, and definitely not for those scared of heights.) 
{oh, the cable route}

Personally, I find that looking forward at the rock face (and/or at the pathway above), and not looking down, is the key to making it up top. That and a strong grip. I also swear by a cheap pair of gardening gloves. (You'll definitely want to wear gloves for the cable portion of the hike; particularly when going back down.) Though there is a pile of gloves at the base of the cables, I personally wouldn't suggest depending on those, particularly as park rangers warn that the gloves attract rodents and those animals that eat them (e.g., rattlesnakes). Surprisingly, D and I had the cable route to ourselves going up. This has never been the case when I've done the hike in the past. I think our early start had a lot to do with that. (The permitting system, which is a recent addition, is meant to curb the huge traffic jams that used to occur on the cable route.)

{from my 4th ascent of Half Dome with D}

D and I arrived at the top of Half Dome around 25 minutes after starting up the cables, and after 20 minutes of taking in the views and a few photo ops, we opted to head back down. We passed about a dozen people making their way up the cables as we descended. I find the crossing-paths part to be slightly harrowing, as, though typically you're stopped at one of the 2x4's that cross the path every so many feet, you still have to cling to the side as people pass by. Not so fun. Some hikers opt to wear a harness around their waist and clip in with caribiners to either side of the cables as they traverse the route. I think that is a super-smart thing to do, and would definitely be a nice source of security for this portion of the trail. 

Because we had made the hike into a two-day event (Half Dome can "easily" be done as a dayhike; in the past it's taken me about 8 to 8.5 hours to do the roundtrip hike from the Valley), D and I decided to also conquer Clouds Rest. (After hiking through Little Yosemite Valley, there is a fork in the trail on the way up to Half Dome that splits off to Clouds Rest and other Tuolumne Meadow destinations.) I wasn't entirely convinced about the Clouds Rest add-on, particularly since I knew it would involve a significant vertical climb. I also had not really enjoyed the first time I'd hiked to the top of Clouds Rest (via Tenaya Lake) with my Dad and brother that same summer I had worked in the park. Though by that point in the summer I had already completed my two Half Dome hikes and had made a lot of other ascents (via hiking) in the park, I was not a fan of the knife-edge portion of the Clouds Rest trail along the summit. I may or may not have had to talk myself down from a bit of a hyperventilation attack near the top. So it was definitely with a bit of trepidation on my part that we took the fork in the trail toward Clouds Rest.

{a view of Half Dome from Clouds Rest}

Admittedly, there may have been a bit of whining and complaining as we hiked the seemingly-never-ending switchbacks to the Clouds Rest summit. Oh, and did I mention that the majority of the trail was in the sun? Oh, woe was me. However, I finally managed to suck it up, and we hit the summit of Clouds Rest (which seemed to be much less scary from the LYV approach than the trail I'd taken before) around 1p.

{on the top of Clouds Rest}

From there, it was (basically) all downhill. The trail, that is. Though I did squeeze in a 15-minute nap at one point during our descent as I was getting super-tired, and my legs were demanding a break. 

To keep our packs light, we opted to leave our tent and sleeping bags set up in the campground, so we broke down our campsite on our way back through LYV. From LYV, it was a just-under 2.5 hour hike to the Valley floor via the John Muir trail. Given that we had gotten up that day before 6a, it was a seriously long day of hiking, but also a day full of accomplishments. We arrived at our accommodations for the night covered in dirt and smelling less than ideal, but we both had smiles on our faces. 

{we survived!}

The Mileage:
Glacier Point to Nevada Fall: 5.2 miles
Nevada Fall to Little Yosemite Valley Campground: 1 mile
LYV Campground to top of Half Dome: ~3.7 miles (I'm not sure this distance is correct.)
Distance from Half Dome to fork in trail: 2 miles
Distance from fork in trail to Clouds Rest: 4.3 miles
Distance from Clouds Rest to Yosemite Valley: 14.1 miles

Total: ~30.3 miles

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