In order to do the day hike, you need to reach the trailhead pretty early in the morning at sunrise (or even earlier), and decide on a non-negotiable turn-around time (aka the time you will turn around if you have not yet reached the summit).
The parking lot can fill up quickly, so an early arrive is key for getting to park as close to the trailhead as possible.
Half Dome is quite exposed so if you’re hiking in the heat, it’s almost imperative to get an early start to try to beat the heat.
Accommodation
Staying in the park itself the night before your Half Dome hike will ensure reaching the trailhead early in the morning and is recommended if you can get camping or lodging reservations.
Unfortunately, we were not able to get accommodation in the park, but if we were able to get one close to Yosemite Valley we would have preferred that to avoid the 1+ hour drive at 4:30am.
Starting the Hike
We reached the National Park around 5:30 am, and parked our car at the Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking on the Happy Isle Loop Road. It is then a short 0.5 mile walk from Happy Isles Trailhead to the Half Dome Trailhead. We started around 6:00 am.
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