Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest to Half Dome to Yosemite Valley--22 miles one way
This is also a one way hike and works best if your family will drop you off on the way to Yosemite Valley so you can race them to the valley. Expect to spend 12-14 hours as you will not want to rush through the beauty. A permit is required to summit Half Dome.
Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest: Roughly 7 miles and the hardest climbing of the day. But don't fool yourself by thinking, "It is downhill from here." I'll include a video of the "scary" knife edge ridge below that leads to the final Clouds Rest summit.
Clouds Rest to Half Dome: Roughly 7 miles and you can follow the trail or take a "shortcut" off trail over the Quarter Domes. On this long hike the crowds will already have thinned out by the time you reach the cables. I was there at the busiest time of the year in August on a beautiful day and I was the ONLY person on the cables at about 3:00 pm.
Half Dome to Yosemite Valley: The final 7 miles. This will include Nevada and Vernal Falls and finish with the Mist Trail. Hard to imagine that the Falls and the Mist Trail seem like an afterthought to this amazing day hike!
