California · Rock climbing · Yosemite National Park

Direct Northwest Face

The easiest of five routes catalogued at Half Dome.

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Is Direct Northwest Face open right now?

No closures listed

The National Park Service lists no closures for Yosemite National Park.

As of · Source: NPS · Yosemite National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Direct Northwest Face

Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    44° / 32°

    10 wet

  2. Feb

    42° / 31°

    9 wet

  3. Mar

    45° / 32°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    49° / 36°

    8 wet

  5. May

    58° / 43°

    7 wet

  6. Jun

    67° / 52°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    75° / 60°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    75° / 59°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    70° / 54°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    60° / 46°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    49° / 37°

    7 wet

  12. Dec

    43° / 32°

    9 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yosemite Village 12 W, CA, 15.3 mi away at 6,620 ft. The station sits about 500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Located on Porcelain Wall at Half Dome, this route represents the entry point among the five climbs catalogued at the crag.

Photo of the crag

Half Dome — the crag this route is on
Half Dome, California — this photo shows the crag, not this individual route.Photo: SymphonicPoet, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive