One Best Hike: Yosemite's Half Dome

by Rick Deutsch

The most popular route to Half Dome’s summit is a grueling 16-mile round-trip trek with 10,800 feet in elevation gain and loss. Although the hike is non-technical, with hikers climbing fixed cables up the granite, many would-be hikers are hesitant about this potentially risky trip. How fit should you be? What preparations do you need to make? What should you bring? How should you pace yourself during the day? Author and seasoned Half Dome hiker Rick Deutsch provides the authoritative step-by-step guide to planning and completing this superb one-day hike with safety advice, insider information, detail, and reassurance found nowhere else.

Genres: Adventure, Nonfiction, Travel

111 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2007

Reviews

[Aron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am definitely not in the target audience here, but the Yosemite history was interesting, and the tip about the natural spring was welcome.

[Jill Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good informative read

Great detail for what to expect and planning for hiking half dome, especially for first time hikers in Yosemite. Good visuals too.

[Jeanenne McCloskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide for preparing to summit Yosemite's Half Dome.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great practical tips for the hike with a dash of history mixed in. My one complaint is that the times seemed a bit sloppy. At one point, they gave you 5 minutes to do a half mile, at another they gave you 30 minutes to do something he said might take you 45 mins to an hour. My takeaway is that 10 hours is just not realistic for most people. Other than that, valuable info on bathrooms, water, what to pack, and what to expect at every stage of the trail. I'll be referring to this frequently in the next couple of months as we prepare. Another plus - the book is compact enough to take with you.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an excellent guide for my recent Half Dome hike. Of course, the trail is so well-marked that you don't need a guide for it, but this book helped me know what to expect, the time frame for how long it would take to get to certain points, etc. I recommend it to anyone who is planning to attempt this hike.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to prepare yourself for the Half Dome hike. We went with a guide and took a slightly different route, but knowing what a portion of our hike was like helped me mentally and physically prepare for the trip. I also found the "Hiking Half Dome" video on this page to be very helpful in my trip planning as well.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this 4 days after my first Half Dome hike. Author has some strong opinions, not all of them bad. There is more than one way to make this a fun hike. Bring a filter pump regardless of your hydration solution.

[John Beynon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some useful information here, but I'm not sure this hike merits a book of its own. Hopefully I'll be doing Half Dome on Oct. 9.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book lacks for nothing in the accomplishment of its ambition, so five stars.

[Jenesis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick guidebook! The in depth history of Half Dome was a nice bonus. Nice practical guide with helpful tips.