What’s in This Article
- What Makes the Half Dome Hike So Dangerous?
- How Many People Have Died on the Half Dome Cables?
- How Has Yosemite Responded to the Risk?
- What Safety Rules Are in Place on the Cables Today?
- How Do You Get a Half Dome Hiking Permit?
- Remembering the Hikers Who Have Lost Their Lives
- What Does the Future Hold for Half Dome Hiking?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Half Dome’s granite face rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley, and reaching the top means climbing the final 400 feet on a pair of steel cables bolted into bare rock. Thousands of hikers reach the summit safely every season, but a small number have fallen and died, almost always on wet granite. Here’s what the National Park Service (NPS) and incident records actually show about the risk, plus the safety rules and permit system now in place to manage it.
Quick Answer
Half Dome is generally safe for prepared, fit hikers who avoid wet conditions, but the cable route has caused a small number of deaths since 1919, almost all from falls on wet rock. The NPS says nearly every fatal fall happened when the granite or cables were wet, not simply because the trail is steep. A permit system introduced in 2010 now limits crowding on the cables. Hikers who start early, check the forecast, and turn back at the first sign of rain face far lower risk.
Key Takeaways
- The cable route covers the final 400 feet of a roughly 14- to 16-mile round-trip hike with about 4,800 feet of total elevation gain.
- The NPS says nearly all fatal falls from the cables happened when the rock or cables were wet.
- A day-use permit, awarded mostly through a March lottery, has been required to hike beyond the subdome since 2010.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are the biggest weather risk; most experienced hikers aim to reach the summit before early afternoon.
- Sources differ on the exact historical death count because they count different things: cable falls only, versus climbing, BASE jumping, and trail-wide totals.
What Makes the Half Dome Hike So Dangerous?
The danger isn’t really the distance. It’s the combination of a long, exhausting approach and a final pitch where a slip has nowhere soft to land.
By the time hikers reach the base of the cables, they’ve already climbed roughly 4,400 feet over eight-plus miles, often in thin mountain air above 8,000 feet. Fatigue at that point makes the final 45- to 60-degree granite slope far riskier than it would be fresh.
Weather adds another layer. Yosemite’s afternoon thunderstorms can build quickly, and the NPS warns that the summit is a dangerous place during a lightning storm.
Warning: According to the National Park Service, nearly all fatal falls from the cables happened when the rock or cables were wet. Don’t start the cables if storm clouds are nearby or the rock is wet.
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How Many People Have Died on the Half Dome Cables?
Exact numbers vary by source because they count different things. Wikipedia, citing park incident records, puts confirmed deaths on the cable section itself at 10 since the cables went up in 1919, as of 2024. Broader counts that add climbing accidents, BASE jumping falls, and incidents elsewhere on the route push the total for all of Half Dome into the dozens.
One well-documented case happened in July 2011, when a hiker fell roughly 600 feet while descending the cables during a severe rainstorm that had soaked the granite for hours, according to NPS records. In July 2024, a 20-year-old hiker slipped on wet rock and fell while descending during a sudden thunderstorm, shortly after celebrating reaching the summit with her father.
Lightning has also killed hikers on the summit. On July 27, 1985, a strike hit a group sheltering near the top, injuring several and killing two.
Note: Death counts you’ll see online range from about 10 to 30-plus, depending on whether the source counts only cable-section falls, or also includes climbing accidents, BASE jumping, and the approach trail.
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How Has Yosemite Responded to the Risk?
Yosemite’s response has centered on cutting crowding, not closing the trail. Before 2010, more than 1,200 people a day could be on the cables at once, which the park found made the route both slower and less safe.
A 2010 stewardship plan introduced a permit system, and as of 2022 the park was receiving more than 70,000 lottery applications a year for roughly 300 daily slots, according to Wikipedia’s summary of park records. Rangers also check permits on the trail and can fine unpermitted hikers who bypass the checkpoint.
Search and rescue teams still assist hundreds of hikers each summer, mostly for dehydration, heat illness, and injuries unrelated to the cables themselves.
What Safety Rules Are in Place on the Cables Today?
The cables themselves haven’t changed much since they were last updated in 1984, but the rules around them have. The park now controls who can be there with a permit system, and rangers post clear signage about the risks at the subdome.
On the cables, the NPS recommends:
- Taking your time and letting faster hikers pass when it’s safe to do so
- Staying on the inside of the cables
- Turning back immediately if storm clouds appear nearby
Don’t attempt the climb if:
- The rock or cables are wet
- A storm is anywhere in the area
- The cables are down for the season (typically mid-October to late May)
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How Do You Get a Half Dome Hiking Permit?
You can’t hike past the subdome when the cables are up without a permit, and demand far outstrips supply. Day hikers apply through a preseason lottery in March on Recreation.gov, with a smaller daily lottery two days before the hike for any leftover or canceled slots.
Backpackers staying overnight in Little Yosemite Valley get their Half Dome permit bundled with their wilderness permit instead of applying separately. Roughly 300 permits go out per day: about 225 for day hikers and 75 for backpackers.
Pro tip: Set a hard turnaround time before you start, for example 3:30 p.m., and stick to it even if you haven’t reached the summit, since afternoon thunderstorms build fast.
Remembering the Hikers Who Have Lost Their Lives
Hikers who’ve lost friends or family on Half Dome have often pushed for change rather than mourning quietly. After his daughter’s death in 2024, one father publicly called for a safer cable system, saying he hoped her story would help the next person.
Online hiking communities have also become informal memorial spaces, where people share what happened and what they’d do differently. That kind of peer-to-peer safety information, even if it’s no substitute for official guidance, has shaped how many hikers now prepare for the climb.
What Does the Future Hold for Half Dome Hiking?
Demand for Half Dome keeps climbing, and the permit system is the main tool the park has to balance access against safety. Expect continued tweaks to lottery odds, and possibly to the cable hardware itself: after the 2024 death, hikers and safety advocates called for more wooden rungs along the route to improve footing.
For now, the biggest factor in your own safety isn’t infrastructure. It’s whether you turn around when the weather turns.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many people have died on the Half Dome cables?
Estimates vary by source and by what’s counted. A frequently cited figure puts confirmed deaths on the cable section itself at about 10 since 1919, as of 2024, while totals that include climbing and other causes run much higher.
What’s the most common cause of fatal falls on Half Dome?
According to the NPS, nearly all fatal falls from the cables happened when the rock or cables were wet. Lightning strikes and falls unrelated to weather have also caused deaths, but wet rock is the leading factor.
Do I need a permit to hike Half Dome?
Yes, anytime the cables are up, roughly Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. Day hikers apply through a March lottery on Recreation.gov, and backpackers get a permit bundled with their wilderness permit.
How long does the Half Dome hike take?
Most hikers take 10 to 12 hours round trip for the 14- to 16-mile route, according to the NPS, though pace varies with fitness and trail conditions.
Is Half Dome safe for kids?
The NPS doesn’t set an official minimum age, but the cables require real upper-body strength and good judgment under exposure. Many experienced guides suggest waiting until a child is around 12 and has prior strenuous-hiking experience before attempting it.
Safety Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and doesn’t replace official National Park Service guidance or your own judgment on the trail. Always check current conditions and weather forecasts before attempting Half Dome, and turn back if conditions turn unsafe.
Half Dome’s cables aren’t inherently more dangerous than plenty of other exposed scrambles, but they punish bad timing more than almost any other day hike in the country. The single biggest thing you control is whether you’re on wet rock during a storm, and the data says that decision matters more than fitness or experience. Check the forecast, get an early start, and don’t be afraid to turn around below the cables if the weather looks unsettled. The summit will still be there next season.
References
- Half Dome Day Hike — National Park Service
- Hiker Fatality on Half Dome Cables — National Park Service
- Half Dome Permits, Yosemite National Park — Recreation.gov
- Half Dome — Wikipedia
- 20-year-old dies after falling from Half Dome cables — NBC News, 2024
- Death on the Dome: Epidemiology of Recreational Deaths on Half Dome — Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2018