Half Dome, Yosemite Park, CA

If you are looking for hiking or camping in the forest with waterfalls, creeks and lots of wild  animals running around then you have to go to Yosemite National  Park in Northern California.  In this post i will tell you about Half Dome Trail, another extraordinary hike in North America.  It's like I've read somewhere -  Half Dome is the ultimate Yosemite day hike - the one you can't die without doing, and the one you're most likely to die while doing. 

To get to Half Dome you need to get a permit. But it's not that simple. Only 400 people are allowed to be on the trail during the day. (300 day hikers and 100 backpackers). Management is trying to regulate quantity of visitors for safety purposes. This year they changed the rules, so permits will be distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov.

The year i went (2010) you could make a reservation online no later than May. Alternatively, you could arrive to Yosemite Village Ranger station on the day of your trip and on first come first serve based system get your permit. But this way only first 25 hikers could receive permits . I arrived to Ranger Station at 5:30am and was 3rd in line. People were there as early as 4:00 am, ranger's station opens at 7:00am . Crazy ha...

On the picture below you can see Yosemite Falls in Yosemite Village. It is the highest waterfall in North America. ( 2,425 feet =739 m)

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 When i received permits for my group, we were given a space in Yosemite Village campground which is specifically for hikers who are going on Half Dome. Some people do a day 14.2 miles (22.7 km) round trip hike to Half Dome .  I think this way you don't have enough time to enjoy the whole hike. Because as soon as you reach the top you need to hike down right away. So we decided to go on a 2 day hike with overnight stop at Little Yosemite Valley Campground, which lies upstream from Nevada Fall. 

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I love Yosemite Park because you can see so many wild animals. This deer was running just across the road in Yosemite Village. I made this shot from the car's window.   

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Beautiful sunset in Yosemite Village.   

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This bear walked around our campground in Yosemite Village. I got as close as possible  to him to get this shot but kept a safe distance.  The bear was crossing  the creek fast so I had to react quickly to take this picture, that is why it's so blurred.

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The next morning we packed our backpacks and moved toward  Little Yosemite Valley Campground.  We had to follow Mist Trail. The distance to Little Yosemite is 4.3 mile or 6.9 kilometers with an elevation gain 2,800 feet (854 meters).

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On this sign you can see that a distance to Half Dome from Yosemite village is 8.2 miles or 11.3 kilometers. This hike is considered advanced because it has pretty steep trail. And believe me it's not that easy to hike there with a big backpack behind your back. 

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Nevada Falls is the last place where you can see hikers without permits, from this point they go back to Yosemite Village. There is a bridge across the waterfall so people can take John Muir Trail to go to the village. 

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There is tons of water rushing from the height of 594-foot (181 m).

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I took this shot on our way back down to Yosemite Village from John Muir Trail. But it was later.  

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After Nevada Falls we moved further to Little Yosemite Campground and several minutes later we met a ranger who asked us to show him our permits. After he checked them he showed us the way and wished a safe hike.  

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Little Yosemite Valley is a very cute campground in the forest near Sunrise Creek where we found a small beach. After a long hike it was just necessary for us to get refreshed. 

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There were just a few people in the campground with us. That's why it was quiet and i could enjoy sound of nature. That day in the campground we saw several deer, a bear and a rattle snake. You don't even need to go to San Diego Zoo, everything is just here.  

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Next day after a good rest in Little Yosemite we went another 3.9 miles(6.25km) to our main destination: Half Dome. On our way we met rangers; again, they checked our permits and explained safety rules on the trail and climbing on the cables. After, they gladly agreed to be on the picture with my friends.   

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And now for the sake of why we came there. The magnificent Half Dome. 

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Ok, here was the funnest part of the trail. We had to climb holding by cables, the slope is more than 45 degrees up.  We came here prepared and brought with us gloves with a good grip and used belts with quick link (just in case). 

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As soon as we reached the top we met some hairy buddy. He lay under stone hiding from the sun and looks like he didn't mind posing for pictures. If you know who  it is, write in comments please. 

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The summit of Half Dome offers you incredibly unforgettable panoramic view. From there you can see Yosemite Valley. The sky seemed so close that i wanted to reach it with my hands and when i was standing on that 4,800 feet (1,600 meters) cliff  i wanted to spread the wings and  fly up as a bird. 

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This week i am going to Yosemite National Park again. This time i am planning to hike to Cathedral Lakes.  This is one of the most scenic trails in the Tuolumne Meadows area.  I am going to post pictures of it later.

Stay tuned!

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