Restricted permit-only access to Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome summit, anticipated to improve hiker safety, did not

According to a new study, implementation in 2010 of permit-only access to Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome cable handrails along the final ascent of this iconic landmark reduced the number of people on the summit at one time, but this did not result in a significant reduction in the overall toll of associated human suffering and mortality, or search and rescue (SAR) activity and costs.