Half Dome is one of the most recognizable summits in the country, and for a few months each summer it is also one of the few peaks of its size that an ordinary hiker can climb without ropes. The reason is a pair of steel cables bolted into the final pitch of granite. When the cables are up, a strong day hiker with a permit can haul up the last 400 feet to the top. When they are down, that same slope becomes serious mountaineering terrain.
If you are eyeing Half Dome for the 2026 season, two things decide whether your trip happens at all: when the cables go up, and whether you can land a permit. Here is how both work, and what the cables actually demand once you are clipped on.
- Cables target: up around May 22, 2026, down around October 13, 2026
- Permit: required to pass the subdome checkpoint whenever the cables are up
- How to get one: a spring preseason lottery, plus a daily lottery two days out
- The real risk: lightning and wet granite, not the climb itself
When the cables are up, and why the date moves
The National Park Service targets putting the cables up on the Friday before Memorial Day, which lands on May 22 in 2026, and taking them down the day after Columbus Day, around October 13. Those are targets, not promises. In heavy snow years the crews cannot safely install the cables on schedule, and the date can slip by weeks. The takeaway for planning is simple: never assume the cables are up early in the season. Confirm the current status on the official park conditions page before you commit to a date or buy a flight around it.
You only need a permit during the season when the cables are up, roughly late May through the middle of October. Outside that window the route is open in theory, but it becomes a technical climb that is far beyond a normal hike, and the Park Service is blunt about how much the danger rises once the cables come down.
How the Half Dome permit lottery works
Access is capped at about 300 hikers a day on the cables, and demand far outstrips that, so permits go through a lottery run on Recreation.gov. There are two ways in. The preseason lottery runs every March, with results in mid April, and is the best shot if you want to lock in dates well ahead. If you missed it or your plans are loose, the daily lottery is your backup: you apply two days before your intended hike, between midnight and 4 in the afternoon Pacific time, and find out that evening.
Be realistic about the odds. The preseason lottery succeeds for roughly a fifth of applications overall, and the daily lottery runs about the same, but because a single application can list several dates, your chance on one specific day is closer to 1 in 100. Flexibility is the cheat code. Apply for as many eligible dates as the system allows, keep mid week dates in the mix, and treat any single date as a long shot rather than a plan.
What actually makes the cables dangerous
The climb up the cables is strenuous but not technical when conditions are good. The danger comes from two things that have nothing to do with your fitness. The first is lightning. Half Dome tops out near 8,800 feet of bare, exposed granite, and summer thunderstorms build fast in the Sierra afternoons. The standard rule is to be off the cables and heading down well before the early afternoon in July and August, when storms are most likely. A dry morning can turn into a deadly ridge by 2 in the afternoon.
The second is water. Wet granite and wet cables are slick, and most serious incidents happen when people push on despite rain or a storm rolling in. If the rock is wet, the smart move is to turn around, even at the base of the cables. The summit will be there next year. Bring gloves for grip, sturdy shoes with real tread, and the honesty to quit if the sky or the rock tells you to.
- Confirm the cables first: check the official status before booking travel around a Half Dome date.
- Apply wide in the lottery: list every eligible date you can to beat the long single day odds.
- Start before dawn: a pre sunrise start is what gets you off the summit before storms build.
- Have a backup hike: if you miss the permit, the Mist Trail to Nevada Fall is a strong day on its own.
How to plan a safe Half Dome day
Half Dome is a long day, commonly 14 to 16 miles round trip with more than 4,800 feet of climbing, so treat it like the endurance event it is. Train on hills, carry more water than feels necessary, and start in the dark so the cables are behind you by midday. Yosemite is also in the middle of a broader shift in how the park manages summer crowds, so it pays to read the current access rules before you go. Our guide to how Arches, Glacier, and Yosemite changed park reservations for 2026 explains what entry looks like this year, and our national park timed entry breakdown shows which parks still gate the gate.
Budget for the trip too. Between the permit fee, the park entrance, and the new fee structure at many parks, the costs add up. Our look at the new national park fees for 2026 covers who pays what, so there are no surprises at the entrance station.
- Late cable installation: a big snow year can push the up date past Memorial Day weekend.
- Afternoon storms: watch the forecast and the sky, and turn around if thunder is near.
- Permit no shows: rangers check permits at the subdome, so do not climb without one.
Half Dome rewards people who respect it and humbles people who do not. Get the permit, get the timing right, and give yourself permission to turn back, and it is one of the great days in any national park. Force it in bad weather, and it becomes the kind of story no one wants to tell. Plan for the first version.
When do the Half Dome cables go up in 2026?
The National Park Service targets the Friday before Memorial Day, which is May 22 in 2026, with the cables coming down around October 13. These are targets, not guarantees, and a heavy snow year can delay installation by weeks, so confirm the current status on the official park page before you plan around it.
Do I need a permit to climb Half Dome?
Yes. Whenever the cables are up, you need a permit to pass the checkpoint at the subdome and use the cables. Permits are issued through a lottery on Recreation.gov, and rangers check them on the route.
How do I get a Half Dome permit?
There are two lotteries. The preseason lottery runs every March with results in mid April. The daily lottery lets you apply two days before your hike, between midnight and 4 in the afternoon Pacific time. Applying for many dates improves your odds, since any single specific date is a long shot.
What is the most dangerous part of hiking Half Dome?
Lightning and wet rock, not the climb itself. The summit is exposed granite near 8,800 feet, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August. Be off the cables before early afternoon, and do not climb if the granite is wet or a storm is near.
For broader planning, compare this update with Deep Arrival’s airline planning guides.
