El Capitan
| El Capitan | |
|---|---|
Southwest face (left, in light) and southeast face (right, in shade) of El Capitan from Yosemite Valley; the Nose lies between the two faces | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,573 ft (2,308 m) NAVD 88 |
| Prominence | 9 feet (3 m) |
| Isolation | 1.5 miles (2 km) |
| Coordinates | 37°44′32″N 119°38′09″W / 37.74222°N 119.63583°W |
| Naming | |
| Native name | To-tock-ah-noo-lah (Southern Sierra Miwok) |
| English translation | "the captain" or "the chief" |
| Pronunciation | /ɛl ˌkæpɪˈtæn/ el KAP-i-TAN |
| Geography | |
Location of "El Capitan" in Yosemite National Park, California | |
| Location | Mariposa County, California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
| Topo map | USGS El Capitan |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Cretaceous |
| Mountain type | Granite rock |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | November 12, 1958 by Warren Harding, George Whitmore, and Wayne Merry |
| Easiest route | Hike |
El Capitan (Spanish: El Capitán; lit. 'the Captain' or 'the Chief') is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet (914 m) from base to summit along its tallest face and is a world-famous location for big wall climbing, including the disciplines of aid climbing, free climbing, and more recently for free solo climbing.
The top of El Capitan can be reached by hiking out of Yosemite Valley on the trail next to Yosemite Falls, then proceeding west. For climbers, the challenge is to climb up the sheer granite face. There are many named climbing routes, all of them arduous, including Iron Hawk and Sea of Dreams.