Well, the lottery results are in, and it seems me and the missus will be heading up Half Dome this year. Yea! <happy dance>
Did anyone else sign up for the lottery?
Does anyone have experience with the hike? Any gotchas I should know? Great places to rest? Especially beautiful views not to miss? General information about the park?
This will be our first time there, and I’m a photographer, so any newbie tips would be appreciated! Any and all info welcome.
Lots of water. Unless you carry a filter pump, there’s no source of water once you’re on the trail. The last time I went, I had almost two gallons and I was sucking drops at the end.
Gloves-the kind with the rubbery, grippy stuff is best. Donate to the pile when you come down off the cables.
I did the hike in running shoes but it depends on what you’re used to.
Soles with good traction is a must, you’ll be on open granite for a stretch before reaching the saddle below the cables.
We did Enchanted Rock last weekend, and I think my hiking boots did a pretty good job handling the granite. We’re going to get her some boots with ankle support this weekend; right now she just has hiking shoes.
I’ve been up there a couple of times. The trail runs along the river for a bit above Emerald Pools, so that’s the last chance to get water if you have some kind of purification system.
Of course you want to start as early as possible and get up there before the crowds show up. I haven’t been since they started issuing permits, but I can say the cables are a lot less scary if you don’t have to dodge a bunch of your fellow white-knuckled hikers. Some people like to take some kind of gloves to use on the cables; when I was there there was a pile of them at the first stanchion.
I think they have a ranger stationed at the trail right at the shoulder of Half Dome now. They’ll be keeping and eye on the weather and try to issue appropriate warnings…but your safety is still up to you. Don’t go up if there is impeding weather.
If you have an extra day and aren’t too wiped out, I highly recommend hiking up to Cloud’s Rest. For me the view from up there is much more spectacular than the one atop of Half Dome.
I signed up for the lottery. Didn’t get passes 
Last year, we got passes for Memorial Day weekend, but there was such heavy snow, the cables weren’t up, (and the campsite we’d reserved was still snowed in), so we didn’t go.
We’ll be taking the easier, less technical route to the top. I’ve already blown my piton budget for the year. 
I’m going to get a mod to amend the title of this thread, because really what I’m wanting is any tips on Yosemite.
Done.
I’m also going to move this to IMHO, which seems like a better forum than Cafe Society for the topic.
Where are you staying when you go to Yosemite? If you don’t have reservations, I would get working on that right away.
Check the schedule of evening programs for the time that you’re there–I highly recommend catching one of Lee Stetson’s “Evening with John Muir” presentations.
I have done the Half Dome trail two times, but not in recent years. First time early season in a dry year so little snow, but cables were not up yet so we had to lift them as we went. Me and two buddies the only ones up there at the time and threw around a football (a piece of un-necessary gear - no it did not go over the side). Second time up there was with a group during the summer high season with some crowding on the cables but not bad. We stayed overnight on both trips in Little Yosemite Valley. That was maybe 15 years ago.
As stated, bring a water filter for water rather than carrying several gallons - it is lighter and you can get water reliably up to Little Yosemite Valley. The views get more dramtic as you approach the backside of the dome. On the top there is something called the “diving board” - a slab that hangs out over the abyss - a favorite photo op for the brave. I have slid on my chest out to the edge to look down. If you are lucky, you may see climbers completing their ascent up the face. On the way down your legs are going to get trashed - by the time you get back to Happy Isles you should be trembling. For this reason I recommend hiking poles.
In recent years the allure of the adventure of climbing Half Dome and the cables has made it dangerous. Once you got to the bottom of the cables it was a 2+ hour crawl to the top due to crowding. After a couple of people freaked out or got impatient and tried to go around but fell to their deaths the park had to institute the lottery system. It is still a good day-long hike but you will likely not find solitude.
In Yosemite itself, I hope you are staying the valley for your first visit. Once you park your car you need not use it as parking is generally a problem, and they have an efficient fleet of free shuttle busses that take you to all the visitor centers and attractions in the valley. They also have bikes for rent or you can bring your own for an excellent outing riding from waterfall to waterfall.
A trip to watch sunset from Glacier Point is a must - bring a picnic dinner and enjoy the show. Along the road to Glacier Point is the less-known Sentinel Dome - an easy mile walk takes you to the top - great for kids (and safe) - awesome views! Also, I second the trip to Clouds Rest - the granite peake behind Half Dome - higher, more spectacular views and less crowded by far. Enjoy your trip!
And don’t do it with a major hang-over and only 2 liters of water 
Have a great time
It looks like we’ll be staying in Groveland, which will make it a bit of a schlep to the park. But we were kind of in a catch-22: we didn’t want to make reservations till we knew for sure we could do Half Dome, but they didn’t announce the permit winners until April 13th, which is late for making plans in June. So, we’ll do what we can.
I’ve been up twice- once from the Valley on the same day and once from a campsite about as close to the top as possible. I’d never do the valley again! It is awesome and an accomplishment, but hard as nails.
My biggest recommendation is get up top as early as possible. I only had to pass two people in either direction on the cables and we had the top to ourselves for 10 minutes which was amazing (around 8 or 8:30am on ~July 15th). My other suggestions- the $2 gloves will be fine if they have the rubber bumps - the cables will destroy them. There is also a pile of gloves that people leave at the base so there are probably some you can borrow if yours don’t give you a sense of security.
Lastly, the granite between the cables has been worn quite smooth and I had a tough time getting a good grip with either pair of boots (the soles were just too firm) and I actually better luck barefoot (just trying it for a bit after watch another group do it that way) so maybe tennis shoes aren’t a bad idea.
Good luck, it will blow your mind with its awesomeness. As far as pictures go- I’d get to the top and take pictures on the way down.
Groveland is cool. And not too far from the park. But get up there early.
If you have time, go to Tuolomne Meadows. That’s really the high country, and less crowded then the valley. You have to go to the valley to see it-- it’s absolutely beautiful-- but the crowds are awful.
Stop by Yosemite Lodge and have a drink on the back patio. Real nice views, too.
I did Half Dome many years ago as part of a longer backpacking trip. No lottery. You just went. We camped on the shoulder and hiked up the next day. A lot scarier coming down than going up!
We’re both early risers, plus we’ll have the advantage of being on Texas time, so we’ll be leaving pretty early the morning we do HD.
IIRC, Groveland has a pretty cool “western bar” you should visit. It’s kind of a dive, but still fun. At least the last time I was there, which was over a decade ago.
If you’re on the lookout for a good book on hiking Yosemite, you can’t go wrong with Jeff Schaffer’s Top Trails: Yosemite: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone or Yosemite National Park: A Natural History Guide to Yosemite and Its Trails. If there is a trail in Yosemite, Jeff has written it up.
If you have time and like waterfalls, there are a couple of neat ones between Groveland and the west entrance. Rainbow Pools is right off of CA120 east of Buck Meadows, and Carlon Falls is an easy 4-mile round trip from the trailhead just off of Evergreen Road.
I hate to tell you this - but you missed a great ascent. I was up two weeks after you, with a 10 day wilderness permit. I couldn’t go out of the Meadows (road was still closed), so I launched from Glacier and camped up above Little Yosemite instead. We also climbed Pinnacles and used snow shoes to get to Cloud’s Rest as well.
Going up before cables means no lottery, and no crowds. It is a beast of a climb, pulling yourself up as the cables were just ropes lying against the granite. When I got to the top it was me and my crew, plus 3 others for most of the day.
PM if you want a link to my pictures.
My recommendations:
Water and lots of snack foods for energy. Iodine tablets are easier than pumps IMHO.
Start EARLY. I went to the top once by leaving my campsite at 5:00 AM. I was able to get to the top of the falls nice and early before too many crowds and before it got too hot. It was still a lot of work going all the way up.
For those considering doing this in the future: You do NOT need a lottery ticket IF you have a wilderness permit - you just pick up your lottery tickets when you check in. Try to camp at Little Yosemite, and then you can climb Half Dome from a start already at the top the of the Falls. That makes it much more pleasant, and you can spend the day at the top.
You also don’t need a lottery ticket if you go before the steps are in place. It just takes more work.
Respect the rock, people that don’t sometimes regret it.
Start really early in the day. It will take all day.