Half Dome

Half Dome is the symbol of Yosemite, its summit the goal of just about everybody who has ever donned a pair of hiking boots. It is a grueling workout, especially if you do it in one day, but if you spend the night in Little Yosemite Valley and tackle the peak first thing the second morning, you’ll have a better chance of avoiding the traffic jams that sometimes build up at the base of the cables.The cables? The last 400 feet are over what feels like nearly vertical (though the angle is probably more like 45 degrees), smooth, exfoliating granite, so a series of horizontal bars about 5 feet apart, flanked by chains with which to pull yourself up, are the only way to get there without technical climbing equipment. It sounds scary but it is done by kids and grandmas and everybody in between. Because of its popularity, wilderness permits are snapped up quickly.