Half Dome
Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. Further out, Yosemite is 0.3 mi away. Its mildest months, June to September, bring highs of 75–83°F.
A mountain, 2 mi east of Yosemite Valley
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 138K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 98% of the 7,799 attractions we track.
Yosemite Valley is the nearest base
Yosemite Valley is 2 miles west, with 17 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Fresno
Fresno is about 68 miles south (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep
June, July, August and September are the mild months, with highs of 75–83°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
The climate here
Below are typical highs and lows near Half Dome.
Half Dome
Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half. It stands at over 8,800 feet above sea level and is composed of quartz monzonite, an igneous rock that solidified several thousand feet within the Earth. At its core are the remains of a magma chamber that cooled slowly and crystallized beneath the Earth's surface. The solidified magma chamber was then exposed and cut in half by erosion, therefore leading to the geographic name Half Dome.
- Type
- Mountain
- Elevation
- 8,835 ft
- Wikipedia readers
- 138K a year
Bases for Half Dome
Close by, places to stay are in Yosemite Valley (17) and Yosemite West (10).
Yosemite Valley
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
1,991 people
2 mi west of Half Dome
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Half Dome | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yosemite Valley | 2 mi west | 5 min | 17 8 hotels · 2 lodges & cabins · 7 campgrounds | 1,991 | — |
| Yosemite West 66% vacation homes | 12 mi southwest | 20 min | 10 2 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 7 lodges & cabins | 31 | — |
| June Lake 70% vacation homes | 23 mi east | 35 min | 25 5 hotels · 1 motel · 9 lodges & cabins · 8 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 209 | — |
| Oakhurst | 28 mi south | 45 min | 44 22 hotels · 8 inns & B&Bs · 10 lodges & cabins · 3 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 6,091 | $393K |
| Fish Camp 100% vacation homes | 19 mi south | 30 min | 13 5 hotels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 2 lodges & cabins · 3 campgrounds | — | — |
| Wawona 36% vacation homes | 15 mi southwest | 25 min | 7 1 hotel · 2 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds | 125 | $750K |
| Bass Lake 69% vacation homes | 29 mi south | 45 min | 15 3 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 lodges & cabins · 8 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 499 | — |
| Lee Vining 27% vacation homes | 27 mi northeast | 40 min | 9 4 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 3 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 628 | $435K |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Pair Half Dome with these
Within 35 miles you can add these well-known places.
Big draw1in town National ParkYosemite National Park4.3M visitors a year
34 mi LakeMono Lake
24 mi WaterfallYosemite Falls
320 mi LakeHetch Hetchy
42 mi AttractionGlacier Point
529 mi Ski areaMammoth Mountain153 runs · 2,962 ft vertical
65 mi AttractionTaft Point
726 mi National MonumentDevils Postpile National Monument100K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Yosemite National Park: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mono Lake: File:Mono lake sat.jpg: created by NASA Rotation and crop: Hike395, Public domain · Yosemite Falls: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hetch Hetchy: Vulpinus2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Glacier Point: Tuxyso, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mammoth Mountain: Hike395 (talk · contribs), CC BY 3.0 · Taft Point: Dave from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Devils Postpile National Monument: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0
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What people ask about Half Dome
What town is Half Dome near?
Yosemite Valley, CA, about 2 miles west.
When is the best time to visit Half Dome?
June, July, August and September, with highs of 75–83°.
How far is Half Dome from Fresno and Stockton?
About 68 miles south of Fresno and about 98 miles west of Stockton, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Half Dome?
Mammoth Yosemite (MMH), about 39 miles away. The nearest big hub is Fresno Yosemite (FAT), about 68 miles.
Where should I stay near Half Dome?
Yosemite Valley (2 mi, 17 places to stay), Yosemite West (12 mi, 10 places to stay) and June Lake (23 mi, 25 places to stay).
Questions for Yosemite Valley
There are no tips yet, so start one in Yosemite Valley’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.