Which national park contains the iconic granite formation Half Dome?

Which national park contains the iconic granite formation Half Dome? Yosemite National Park contains Half Dome.

Half Dome rises at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in California. Its distinctive shape comes from a massive body of quartz monzonite, an igneous rock that cooled deep underground before erosion and glacial activity exposed it. The formation is not literally a dome with half removed; from some viewpoints, much of the supposed missing side remains as a steep ridge.

Half Dome stands about 8,846 feet above sea level and became one of Yosemite’s defining landmarks through photographs, paintings, and climbing history. George Anderson made the first recorded ascent in 1875, while the famous cable route was installed in 1919.

Visitors often confuse Half Dome with El Capitan, another Yosemite granite landmark. El Capitan is a near-vertical monolith on the valley’s western side, while Half Dome is the rounded, sharply cleaved formation farther east. Hikers using the cable route need a permit, and the cables are generally installed seasonally.