Yosemite
A training plan for Half Dome
The cable route is a long single day: about 16 miles and roughly 4,800 feet of gain, topping out near 8,800 feet. People underestimate the cables, the descent, and how early you have to leave the trailhead. This page is the training shape. It is not a permit.
What the weeks practice
- Time on your feet, with the long hike landing on the weekday you can protect.
- Hills or stairs, so the gain is not a surprise on the Mist Trail and the subdome.
- A pack that gets heavier in small steps, up to the weight you plan to carry, and never past it.
- A taper so hike week is not your biggest week.
Before you pick a date
The cables require a Half Dome permit. The lottery and the daily quota live with Yosemite National Park and Recreation.gov, and they change. Wet rock, a thunderstorm, or a late start are reasons to turn around, not reasons to hurry the last pitch. Confirm trail status the week you go.
Week 1 of the plan is free. $19 unlocks the later weeks, the gear checklist, the chart, and the files. The altitude note — turn around for a headache that is new — is in the free overview.
Build a Half Dome planBig-Hike Prep is a conditioning schedule, not medical advice, not a guide service, and not a permit. Verify the route, permits, water, and closures with the land agency. Turn around for storms, altitude illness, or a missed turnaround time. Glaciated mountains need skills this plan does not teach.