How strenuous is Half Dome hike?

While 14 miles and 5,000 feet of gain might not be too challenging for some people, most will consider this a very strenuous day hike and struggle to make it to the summit. And getting to the top of Half Dome is only half the battle! You'll have to make it back down to the trailhead when you're extremely tired.



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The trail to Half Dome from Yosemite Valley is an extremely steep and strenuous hike covering over 14-16 miles. Hikers gain 4,800 feet of elevation along the trail that passes highlights such as Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, before reaching the cables on Half Dome's steep granite domes.

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The National Parks Service describes Half Dome as the most strenuous day hike in Yosemite, and probably the toughest (recommended) day hike in any National Park. So while you can certainly just show up and give the hike a go, you'll enjoy it more if your fitness level is up to snuff.

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You can go at your own pace, as long as you have enough daylight! With that being said, this is still an incredibly strenuous hike for the average person. You should have a few other day hikes of 12+ miles under your belt before you attempt Half Dome, including hikes that have a decent amount of elevation gain.

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Difficulty Of The Half Dome Trail If you are not comfortable with heights, you may want to avoid the cable route. Hikers report this being the most difficult section of the hike.

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This climb is hard! The granite surface has been worn smooth by the shoes of the thousands of people before us. The climb is so steep that we pulled ourselves up more with our upper body strength than by walking up with our feet. It took us roughly 20 minutes to climb the 400 feet up the Half Dome cables.

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Half Dome has an elevation of 8,844 feet and sits 4,737 feet above the valley floor. It takes an equivalent 473 flights of stairs to reach the top, which means 118 trips from the First Floor Lantern to the McFadden-Willis Reading Room.

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Supertopo says: Snake Dike is the easiest technical climbing route to the top of Half Dome, the most recognized rock feature in the United States.

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How Difficult is the Angels Landing Trail? Angels Landing is a strenuous hike, with steep sections of rapid elevation gain in full sun exposure, and occasional scrambling. The total elevation change is 1,488 feet.

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It's also a huge part of why Angels Landing is considered one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. The last half-mile of Angels Landing, aptly-named “The Spine,” is an extremely narrow ridge with sheer 800- to 1,000-foot dropoffs. On both sides.

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