Half Dome

About Half Dome

Half Dome is a granite monolith in Yosemite National Park that rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and reaches about 8,800 feet above sea level . The summit was reached in 1875 by George Anderson, whose ascent established the predecessor of today’s cable route .

Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half.

Half Dome is a granite monolith in Yosemite National Park that rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and reaches about 8,800 feet above sea level . The summit was reached in 1875 by George Anderson, whose ascent established the predecessor of today’s cable route .

Documented mountaineering milestones

• 1875 — First ascent of Half Dome, pioneering the east-face approach later associated with the cable route: George Anderson
• 1957 — First ascent of the 2,000-foot Northwest Face after five days of continuous climbing: Royal Robbins, Jerry Gallwas, and Mike Sherrick

Routes and approaches

The standard hiking approach begins at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, follows the trail past Vernal and Nevada Falls and through Little Yosemite Valley, then reaches the summit via the final cable-assisted section .

These records are loaded from the existing route API. No route metrics are invented when the source does not provide them.

More mountains in Traverse

• Mount Whitney — Sierra Nevada
• Denali — Alaska Range
• Grand Teton — Teton Range
• Longs Peak — Front Range

Sources and provenance

• Wikidata
• Wikipedia
• Wikimedia Commons image
• Google Trends comparison
• Historical or route context
• Historical or route context
• Historical or route context

Mountain information is factual reference only, not a current conditions or safety report.

Page reviewed 2026-08-17.