California · Rock climbing · Yosemite National Park

The Xue Way

Mid-to-upper range climb on Half Dome's South Face.

5.12a
grade
Trad Gear
style

Is The Xue Way 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 The Xue Way

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, 15.7 mi away at 6,620 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Located on Half Dome's South Face, this route sits among the mid-to-upper range climbs catalogued at the crag, where five routes span from 5.7 to 5.13a.

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