Mountain · 1 route

Half Dome

8,809 ft · California

Photo: Jon Sullivan, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Summit: 8,809 ft
Routes: 1 way up
Managed by: National Park Service

Route up Half Dome

Half Dome TrailModerateabout 1,797 ft of climbing2.0 mi round tripSee the route

About Half Dome

Half Dome is a summit of 8,809 feet in Yosemite National Park, within the Yosemite Wilderness, about 2.4 miles from Yosemite Valley. The land is managed by the National Park Service. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at a similar elevation show July highs around 71°F with lows near 38°F, while winter highs stay in the low 40s. The Half Dome Trail starts about 1.2 miles away, and the Mirror Lake Loop is about 0.9 miles off. Climbers can head to the Southwest Face, about half a mile away, or Valley South Side, about 0.8 miles away.

Forecast on Half Dome

Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.

Questions about Half Dome

How tall is Half Dome?

8,809 ft (2,685 m).

How many routes go to the summit of Half Dome?

One: Half Dome Trail.

Mountains nearby

More mountains in California

When to go

Best time to go: Jun–Sep. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 65–71°F and lows of 32–38°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Tuolumne Meadows Rs, CA weather station, 14 mi away. High / low in °F.

Jan41° high13° low
Feb38° high12° low
Mar42° high15° low
Apr45° high22° low
May54° high27° low
Jun65° high33° low
Jul71° high38° low
Aug70° high36° low
Sep65° high32° low
Oct57° high26° low
Nov47° high20° low
Dec40° high12° low

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Yosemite Wilderness · Wilderness
Yosemite National Park · National Park Service

Nearest town: Yosemite Valley, California · 2.4 mi
Managed by: National Park Service

Source: Wilderness.net boundaries; NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Yosemite National Park as of Oct 9, 2026:

Glacier Point Road is closed due to the Dome Fire until 10/10 at 7 am
Park Closure · posted Oct 9, 2026

Source: NPS Alerts API

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Is Half Dome open right now?

No closures listed

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

As of Oct 23, 8:00 pm PDT · Source: NPS · Yosemite National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Permit by lottery · Half Dome

Next lottery expected to open Monday, March 1

For the 2027 cables season. Recreation.gov hasn't announced this date yet.

One preseason lottery in March for the whole cables season, results in April. During the season a daily lottery runs two days before each hike.

Apply on Recreation.gov · Dates checked Oct 22

Best time to visit Half Dome

Best months: June–September. 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.

Jan
41° / 13°
Feb
38° / 12°
Mar
42° / 15°
Apr
45° / 22°
May
54° / 27°
Jun
65° / 33°
Jul
71° / 38°
Aug
70° / 36°
Sep
65° / 32°
Oct
57° / 26°
Nov
47° / 20°
Dec
40° / 12°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tuolumne Meadows Rs, CA, 13.9 mi away at 8,694 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Get a permit

Half Dome (the cables) · day hike

Lottery

Every date goes by lottery on Recreation.gov: a lottery ahead of the season, then a lottery a day or two before each date. Details

Hike date

Select a date

Reserve on Recreation.gov

You book with Recreation.gov. Roamze doesn't take a cut.

Every date goes by lottery on Recreation.gov, so there are no cancellations to watch. Get an email when the next lottery opens from Permit by lottery on this page.