Hiking Half Dome during off-season
This year we decided to do Half Dome the weekend after the cables went down for the season (usually Columbus Day). It made planning the trip a lot easier since we didn’t have to worry about attaining a Half Dome permit through the NPS lottery. We were able to avoid the traffic jam of people at the top of the Dome that exist during the rest of the year.
The downside is you need to bring climbing gear to reach the summit (harnesses, prusik rope and carabiners), but it’s an easy ascent with some climbing experience. Here’s a video of a off season Hafl Dome climb with harnesses. With proper gear this can be the most thrilling portion of the hike.
The trail ended up being 16 miles and 4000 feet of elevation gain since we hiked from Curry Village. This guide was really helpful before doing the hike. I downloaded the AllTrails GPS app before the hike but it ended up being pretty useless for Half Dome. The trail is really well marked and has tons of mile markers. For 30/year I’m sure you could find a better app or grab a map at the Yosemite entrance.
The trail to Half Dome is as beautiful as the dome itself. The Mist Trail leads to . Despite being one of the most popular trails in Yosemite, the path to the falls was mostly empty. Vernal Falls was breathtaking after the thunderstorms and rain the day before. I only brought my iPhone instead of hauling my DSLR up the trail with me, I was glad I decided to save on weight and bring more water snacks instead. The iPhone 6s did a great job capturing the trip regardless!
Having sturdy and grippy climbing boots come in really handy during the Mist Trail staircase. The stairs were really slippery from the waterfall and the rain the night before, especially since you’ll need to hike this segment in the dark on the way down.
Nevada Falls, almost to Little Yosemite Valley
This rainbow greeted us as we neared the summit. Looking down over Little Yosemite Valley.
Looking down on Cloud Gate from the sub dome.
The sub dome was a really steep scramble after hiking for almost 5 hours straight, but the views were enough to distract us.
The exposed dome made us glad we brought extra layers.
It was surreal to reach the top and be the only ones up here. It felt like the way Half Dome was meant to be experienced. The dome was too icy from the rain the night before so we weren’t able to summit Half Dome. The views were still spectacular from the sub dome and well worth the 8 mile hike.
Gear
- Climbing harness
- 2 prusick ropes and caribeaners
- Cambelback (3L) and extra 1–2L of water
- Hiking boots with good grip and ankle support
- Climbing gloves
- Headlamp
- Bring a lunch, lots of Clif Bars, trail mix and fruit.
