Half Dome Backpack

Check in to Curry Village within spectacular Yosemite Valley anytime after 5pm. Meet your guide and group at 6pm on the porch of the Mountain Shop in Curry Village for a short meet-and-greet and trip orientation. Dinner tonight is on your own at one several local restaurants.
*Length of itinerary is determined by permit availability

5-day itinerary: After breakfast on your own, you will meet your guide in front of the Half Dome Village Mountain Shop at 7:00am. We’ll leave our cars in the parking lot and take a shuttle to our starting trailhead. The scenic ride will be about an hour and a half long. We’ll then lace up our boots and hike about 4 miles to our camp along the Illillouette Creek, below Mt Starr King.
4 miles, Elevation: +697′ / -1540′

4-day itinerary: After breakfast on your own, you will meet your guide in front of the Curry Village Mountain Shop at 8:00am. We’ll leave our cars here in the parking lot and take a short (10 min) shuttle to the Happy Isles Trailhead. From there, we’ll follow the Merced River past Vernal and Nevada waterfalls and into Little Yosemite Valley where we will make camp for the night. 5 miles
*Length of itinerary is determined by permit availability

5-day itinerary: Today we’ll continue making our way towards Half Dome, passing over the top of Nevada Fall along the way. Our final destination will be the Little Yosemite Valley (LYV) / Sunrise Creek area. This day will involve 5-7 miles of hiking, depending on the route chosen. In camp, we’ll have access to the beaches along the Merced River and to solar composting toilets.

5-7 miles, Elevation: approx +1798’/ -2070′

4-day itinerary: Beginning early in the morning, we’ll eat breakfast and start our hike to the summit of Half Dome (8,845′). After a few miles of gaining elevation within the fir forests, we break above treeline for our first look at the famous Cables Route. After a bit more hiking we’ll make the quick and straightforward climb up the final stretch to Half Dome’s summit. Spectacular views await of the Sierra high country and down into Yosemite Valley far below. Not to be missed is a peek over the edge from The Visor, perched 4,700ft above Tenaya Canyon. After hiking back down to camp, we can go for refreshing swim from the beaches of the Merced River, have dinner and relax by the campfire.

5-day itinerary: Beginning early in the morning, we’ll eat breakfast then start our hike to the summit of Half Dome. After a few miles of gaining elevation within the fir forests, we break above treeline for our first look at the famous Cables Route. After a bit more hiking we’ll make the quick and straightforward climb up the final stretch to Half Dome’s summit. At 8,847′ above sea level Half Dome has spectacular views of the Yosemite high country. We’ll spend lunch taking in the views and hike back to camp in the early afternoon. Once we reach camp in LYV again, we can go for a refreshing swim in the Merced River and relax before dinner and one final night in the backcountry.

6.7 miles, Elevation: +2875′ /-2876′

4-day itinerary: Our hike back to the trailhead is as amazing as everything else we’ve seen as we travel the famous John Muir Trail along the “Wild and Scenic” Merced River back into Yosemite Valley. We’ll arrive to Curry Village between 12-1pm.

Our hike back to the trailhead is as amazing as everything else we’ve seen. We will travel the famous John Muir Trail along the “Wild and Scenic” Merced River back into Yosemite Valley with views of Vernal and Nevada Falls. We’ll arrive to Curry Village around early afternoon. (Approximately 12-1pm).

5.3 miles, Elevation: +811′ / -2935′