Half Dome climb opens to visitors in Yosemite

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Yosemite National Park is one of the gems of the National Park Service, and this season, people across the country are heading out to see the waterfalls and back country.

One of the country's busiest national parks is right here in our own backyard and people are already coming out early to visit the park.
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Even with the drought, park rangers say the waterfalls are still flowing, and the mild conditions contributed to a 20 percent increase in visitors in March.


The warm weather has also caused one of the most popular and challenging hikes in Yosemite National Park to open early. The cables on the backside of Half Dome have already been installed for the summer. That means those with a permit to climb the mountain can do so beginning Saturday.

A permit system was put in place a few years ago to deal with crowding and safety issues.

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More than 4 million people visit the park a year.