Sunrise to Happy Isles via Clouds Rest and Half Dome

Dogs No Dogs

Features Commonly Backpacked · Views · Waterfall · Wildlife

Sunrise Lakes to Happy Isles is a great way to experience the Yosemite Wilderness. You'll enjoy world class views of the Sierra Mountain Range from Clouds Rest and beat the crowds to Half Dome. Along the way, you'll see wildlife, Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls, beautiful sunsets and sunrises. This is a 2 to 3-day backpacking trip with wilderness camping, but you can day hike Half Dome from your camp.

This is normally a 3 day hike and more manageable as such. If you plan on spending 3 days (which is how you must reserve your wilderness permit), I would recommend the following itinerary:

Day 1: Sunrise Lakes over Clouds Rest and on the Clouds Rest Trail ~1 mile after you descend from Clouds Rest. It has a great view of Half Dome. You must carry water to this point as there is none until the junction of the John Muir Trail (JMT) and Clouds Rest Trail.
Day 2: Hike up Half Dome and spend the night at Little Yosemite Valley (must add a Half Dome permit to your wilderness permit)
Day 3: Descend to Yosemite Valley via either the Mist Trail or the JMT to Happy Isles.

If you are highly motivated, the hike can be done in 2 days by camping at the junction of the JMT and Clouds Rest Trail. Ascend Half Dome without packs the next morning before descending to Yosemite Valley via Happy Isles as described below.

You can run this as a one-way and utilize the Hiker's Bus Service to get back to your car at Sunrise Lakes (available approx. mid-June to mid-September). If you want to summit Half Dome as part of the route, you'll need a day hike permit for Half Dome.

Wilderness Hike (Entry Trailhead: Sunrise Lakes, Exit Trailhead: Happy Isles). Though you can do this as a multi-day like we did, if you're quick you don't have to (you'll need a day hike permit for Half Dome if you're not camping).

Sunrise Trail to Cloud's Rest (7.1 mi, elevation gain 2600 ft). This run is every bit as advertised. Yes, it's strenuous but beautiful. The steepest part is the tough switchbacks during mile 2 before reaching the fork to Sunrise Lakes. There is a small lake after you turn right at the Cloud's Rest Trail and several streams around this point so you can pump water and save weight (June 14, 2021).

It took us about 4 hours to reach the summit with packs. We proceeded down Cloud's Rest Trail to the junction of the John Muir Trail (JMT) and camped near Sunrise Creek (~3.7 mi). This was about a 10.5-11 mile day that took us ~8 h. Sunrise Creek is the last place to pump water on the way to Half Dome.

Day 2: JMT to Half Dome then Happy Isles. We just brought limited water and food to the summit of Half Dome (2.5 miles). It is absolutely insane. Both my teens were fine on the cables. We did a lot of research so we knew what to expect. Neoprene gardening gloves were perfect. Take small steps and take your time going board to board. We returned to the campsite, packed up, and left for Nevada Falls. In retrospect, we could have saved 1 mile by packing up camp in the am and bringing our packs to the junction of the JMT and Half Dome Trail.

We left the campsite at 6:00. There were less than 10 people on the cables/summit while we were there. We topped out about 8 am and spent about 30 minutes on summit. We were off the subdome by 9 am and several groups were approaching. Don't forget your obligatory picture from "the visor." The run from the JMT/Half Dome Junction to the top of Nevada Falls is about 3.4 miles.

There's plenty of room above the falls to relax, pump water, and cool off before making the 4.1 mile descent to Happy Isles via the JMT which has great views of Nevada Falls. Exiting via the Mist Trail is only 2.5 miles but the steps are steep and harder on the knees although the advantage is you're right next to Vernal Falls. Total distance was 13 miles but at least 5 miles was without packs.