Safety is not guaranteed on Yosemite’s Half Dome. But could it be improved?
Good morning. It’s Friday, Aug. 9. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- Grace Rohloff died hiking Half Dome. Her father is calling for safety changes.
- Housing costs are driving people out of Orange County, a new poll says.
- These are the 8 upcoming shows we’re most excited for at Intuit Dome.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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A death at Yosemite leaves hikers questioning the safety of Half Dome
The splendor of Yosemite National Park draws millions of visitors each year, seeking the wonder and grandeur of California’s incomparable Sierra Nevada.
For many, the trip is not complete without a view of the towering Half Dome. For a lucky subgroup of visitors who win in a permit lottery, it also includes a trek up the granite giant’s backside of the 8,800-foot summit.
As if the extremely vertical path to reach the top wasn’t harrowing enough, the infrastructure that makes ascent possible to non-superhuman climbers is mostly unchanged since it was first installed over a century ago.
It consists of two steel cables threaded along steel posts anchored into the rocks, with unevenly spaced wood rungs drilled into the rockface. It’s famously treacherous and sometimes the site of tragedy.
That was the case last month when 20-year-old Grace Rohloff slipped on the rain-slicked rock, lost her grip on the cables and fell to her death as her father, Jonathan Rohloff, watched helplessly.
Jonathan has been calling on the National Park Service to make the cable system safer so further deaths can be prevented.
The view from Half Dome
Following Rohloff’s death, Times investigative reporter Jack Dolan hiked up Half Dome to experience conditions firsthand.
“The cables are ugly, crude and dangerous, but they have fascinated adventurous souls since Day 1,” he wrote. “Braving them is a rite of passage among California’s outdoors enthusiasts — something people tend to do once and remember for the rest of their lives.”
Jack spoke with more than a dozen hikers across the age and experience spectrum who made their way up the cables (or intended to). They all mentioned the precarious conditions of the climb and knowledge about Rohloff’s recent death.
“I thought it would be a breeze to scamper up,” 19-year-old Hudson Sauder told Jack. But he wasn’t prepared for how slippery the rock face was under his feet.
“I was scared my grip strength would go,” he said. “It would have been a nightmare.”
And 54-year-old Erick Ulferts offered Jack this poignant observation:
“None of this is especially safe. That’s sort of the beauty of it.”
Can Half Dome be made safer?
Every hiker Jack spoke to said adding more wood slats would be a welcome improvement, as they would provide more frequently spaced footholds to prevent slipping.
But he pointed out a couple of arguments that have been made against upgrades.
One school of thought: “Improving the cables is that it might make them too easy, luring people who are not fit enough to safely give them a try,” Jack explained.
“Another argument against drilling more wooden rungs into the rock is rooted in the 21st century aversion to adding anything fashioned by humans to the natural environment,” he added. “But since the cables are already there, none of the climbers interviewed thought improving them would mar the landscape.”
What do NPS officials say about all this? So far, nothing.
Administrators declined to answer Jack’s questions about improving safety at Half Dome and what that could cost.
On the NPS webpage about hiking Half Dome, officials state that “there is nothing you can do to guarantee your safety.”
“Thousands of people reach the summit,” officials wrote. “For most, it is an exciting, arduous hike; for a few, it becomes more of an adventure than they wanted.”
What the data show about deaths in Yosemite
Falling is the most common unintentional death in Yosemite, according to data collected by National Park Service officials over the last 10 years.
Data published by NPS show 30 people died from falls in the park between 2014 and 2019. That’s nearly a third of the 98 total deaths reported in that time period.
Preliminary data for 2020 through 2023 show 28 total deaths in Yosemite, including seven from falls, seven as medical and two from vehicle crashes.
The NPS’ dataset includes one death in 2024, though that only counts through mid-March and doesn’t include Rohloff’s death in July.
At Half Dome specifically, at least 10 people have fallen to their deaths while climbing the massive batholith since 2004 and hundreds more have been injured, according to news reports.
Today’s top stories
Housing
- ‘We just can’t afford to live here.’ Housing costs are driving people out of Orange County, poll says.
- ‘Soulless’ gray vinyl floors have infested L.A.’s rental market — and tenants hate them.
The 2026 election (if you’re tired of 2024 already)
- Who is running for California governor in 2026? Meet the potential candidates.
- The 2026 California lieutenant governor race has begun to take shape.
- L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has also launched her 2026 reelection campaign.
Back to school
- With family budgets already squeezed, back-to-school costs sting more this year.
- L.A.’s child-care industry is in a tailspin, hit with disruption as transition kindergarten grows.
Some good news
- The first giant pandas in decades have been unveiled at San Diego Zoo.
- Compton post office renamed for local Vietnam War hero who saved lives of fellow Marines.
More big stories
- An air taxi service plans to launch in Los Angeles in 2026 at USC, SoFi and LAX.
- July was California’s hottest month ever, as climate warms to dangerous new extremes.
- In a rambling news conference, Trump lashes out at Harris and agrees to Sept. 10 debate.
- L.A. woman held in Russia over charity donation faces 15 years in prison in ‘treason’ trial.
- A private judge, not a Los Angeles jury, will hear Ponzi case against City National Bank.
- Three German tourists were federally cited for shooting Joshua Tree National Park signs, bathrooms and dumpsters with paintballs.
- In an effort to crack down on membership cheats, Costco is installing card scanners at the entrances.
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Commentary and opinions
- Editorial board: Doesn’t Huntington Beach have something better to do than harass transgender kids?
- Jackie Calmes: Nancy Pelosi wants you to know she wields power, but she won’t tell all.
Today’s great reads
This California landslide keeps getting worse. This man is determined to fight it. Accelerating landslides in Rancho Palos Verdes have continued to upend life. But residents like Gordon Leon aren’t ready to give up.
Other great reads
- L.A.’s new Intuit Dome just might be one of the best arena designs in America. But there’s one missing link.
- A deadly crash on a Long Beach sunset cruise. Then, the fight to save survivors.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 🎤 8 upcoming shows we’re most excited for at Intuit Dome.
- 🖼️ The art of Xin Liu, a new ‘Company,’ musical laughs with Tim Minchin and the best art and culture in L.A. this week.
- 🐶 This 7-second test tells you if it’s too hot for your pet to go outside.
Staying in
- 📚 The novel that’s sure to ignite Hollywood’s next bidding war.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for Chipotle-Braised Chicken With Tomatillo Bean Salad.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
And finally ... a great photo
Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.
Today’s great photo is from reader Mitchel Miller, who sent it to our reporters when they asked for recommendations for great campsites. It’s the sunset view from Mt. Lowe, which campers can hike to from Mt. Lowe Trail Camp.
Here are 5 great campsites near L.A. beloved by locals.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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