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- English
Our 4-day Half Dome guided backpacking tours are specially designed to make your journey to the summit as spectacular as possible! This guided tour kicks off in Yosemite Valley. From there we’ll hit the trail and guests will hike and camp alongside fabled waters like Sunrise Lakes or the Merced River. Our expert guides make your experience 5-star with delicious camp-cooked cuisine and comfort provisions around camp, while on-trail pointing out the lesser-known factual gems that surround you. The magic climaxes either on the final evening or the final morning, when you’ll climb the cables up Half Dome’s summit for a truly spectacular sunrise or sunset.
As the calendar is confusing:
2025 Dates are:
10/2-10/5
10/10-10/13
2026 Dates are:
5/29-6/1
6/7-6/10
6/21-6/24
7/3-7/6
7/13-7/16
7/24-7/27
8/6-8/9
8/21-8/24
9/5-9/8
9/20-6/23
10/2-10/5
What's Included
Lunch
Dinner
Breakfast
Meeting and pickup
Curry Village Main Parking Lot near Shuttle Stop #14
Itinerary
-
1Yosemite Valley
Meet your guide in Half Dome Village at 3:00 PM. Get acquainted with the group and with gear. If time allows before dinner, visit some of the Valley’s walkable destinations. Grab dinner at one of park’s numerous restaurants. (Food is not provided while in the front-country.) End the day by camping in the Yosemite Valley Backpacker’s Camp.
9 hours • Admission ticket not included -
2Yosemite National Park
Set out via the Happy Isles trailhead for a 4-mile hike up the Mist Trail. Soak in the rainbows and scenery as you hike past the pluming basin of Vernal Fall, where you’ll experience the trail’s namesake up close and personal (note: you will get wet!) Continue hiking to the top of Nevada Fall, with a breathtaking view of Yosemite Valley, before hiking the remaining mile to your campsite at Little Yosemite Valley. Today’s Mileage/Elevation: 4.5 mi / -300′, +2,440′ -OR- Catch your first glimpse of the high country while refreshing yourself in the stunning waters of Tenaya Lake (8,150′). After a 4.2-mile hike up the Sunrise Trail with portions of strenuous uphill, you’ll be rewarded with jaw-dropping views of Half Dome and Tenaya Canyon, and one of our favorite campsites in Yosemite on the shore of Sunrise Lake (9,166′)! Enjoy the sunset while playing and fishing in one of our guides’ favorite high country destinations. Today’s Mileage/Elevation: 4.2 mi / +1,616′, -,500′
1 day • Admission ticket free -
3Yosemite National Park
Wake at a leisurely hour and enjoy a restful day of relaxing and exploring the Merced River Canyon. You pick the itinerary this morning. Sunbathing, hiking, fishing, and birding are all fair game, or set out for a mini-adventure before communing at camp for lunch and preparing for your Half Dome ascent! Today’s Mileage/Elevation (not including Half Dome): Varies -OR- After a hearty breakfast hike approximately 3.5 miles to the summit of Clouds Rest at 9,926′. Enjoy lunch at the top while soaking in panoramic views of Yosemite’s wilderness. From the summit, hike down 5 miles to Sunrise Creek for the final night of camping. Today’s Mileage/Elevation: 7.3 mi / +800′, -2,800′
1 day • Admission ticket free -
4Half Dome
Half Dome Half Dome will be completed either in the afternoon on Day 3 to catch the sunset, or the following morning with an alpine start to catch the sunrise. This is a strenuous uphill of 3.5 miles to the summit at 8,836′. Roundtrip mileage: 7.0 Day 4 We will descend to the Yosemite Valley Floor (4,000′) via the Mist Trail which parallels the Merced River and both Nevada and Vernal Falls. Total mileage: 4.5 Typically, our goal is to finish between 2-4 PM.
14 hours • Admission ticket included
Meeting Day
Happy Isles -OR- Sunrise Lakes
Little Yosemite Valley -OR- Sunrise Creek
Half Dome
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
- 2025 Dates: 10/2-10/5, 10/10-10/13
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Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
- 2025 Dates: 10/2-10/5, 10/10-10/13
- 2026 Dates: 5/29-6/1, 6/7-6/10, 6/21-6/24, 7/3-7/6, 7/13-7/16, 7/24-7/27, 8/6-8/9, 8/21-8/24, 9/5-9/8, 9/20-6/23, 10/2-10/5
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Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
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Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 6 full days before the experience’s start time.
- For a 50% refund, you must cancel 2–6 full days before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
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