The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome was the first Grade VI big wall climbing route in the United States.

[4] All of the major walls and formations in Yosemite Valley had been climbed by the mid 1950s with the exception of the Northwest Face of Half Dome and El Capitan.

A more serious attempt to find passage up this cliff was made in 1955 by Jerry Gallwas, Don Wilson, Royal Robbins and Warren Harding.

He had been planning, along with Mark Powell and Bill "Dolt" Feuerer, to give the route another attempt, but had been beaten to it by the successful team.

The route was first climbed free in a 3-day push (with three variations to bypass bolt ladders) in 1976 by Art Higbee and Jim Erickson at 5.12c.

[11] Over the Fourth of July Weekend in 2015, a major rockfall occurred on the Regular Northwest Face, severely altering pitches 10 and 11.