How long does it take to climb half dome

It takes about all day for most people, round trip, eight hours at least. Best the take the Mist Trail up and the JMT down. Stay away from the river because people have gone over the falls. Be careful on the cables and at the top of the Dome too because people have fallen off both.

When u say ''climb'' do u mean climb, or hike?

The Regular Northwest Face route goes at 5.9/A1. Most parties take 1-2 days to climb the route. There r 23 pitches of technical climbing, each pitch about 100 feet in length.

5.9 indicates the free climbing difficulty. Free climbing is what most people think of as ''climbing''. 5.9 is considered moderate tthese days. Most people will have to climb a few years before being able to lead at this level.

A1 indicates the ais climbig difficulty. For this climb, it means that u will have to pull on gear from time to time. The two pitches of the Zig Zags require sustained aid climbing for a 5.9 climber. This requires some specialized equipment like daisy chains & aiders (etriers).

Typically, a party will start by climbing the first 3 pitches & rappel back to the ground to camp for the night. They will use ascenders to climb back up the ropes & continue up.