Routes : North America : United States : California : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : El Capitan
El Capitan
Climbing Sections:
- East Buttress of El Cap (1)
- East Ledges (2)
- El Cap Base Routes (19)
- La Cosita (5)
- Southeast Face: El Capitan (37)
- Southwest Face: El Capitan (18)
About El Capitan:
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Located in Yosemite National Park. Climbers from all over the world come to climb 'The Captain', the largest monolith in America. Whether you're making a sub-24-hour speed ascent or doing a two week solo excursion, El Cap is where it's at. "The Big Stone" is where great climbers (and not-so-great climbers) of the contemporary era have come to initiate or refine their big wall skills. Modern big wall climbing was invented here, and today nearly all new big wall developments originate in Yosemite. Virtually all of the ascensionists of the world's longest, hardest and most remote big walls cut their teeth on El Cap's granite. Here you can enjoy predictably good weather, and have comfort in knowing that a rescue is usually only a toll-free 911 cell phone call away. |
| Nearest town or city: | Yosemite Valley |
| Directions: | There is no shuttle bus service to El Cap, so you'll either need to drive or hitchhike. Once you get to El Cap, there are four places you can park, from left to right. Farthest west there is a pullout on the north side of the road where you can access such climbs as Lurking Fear and the West Face. Hike straight up to the face from here. Most walls are accessed from the central trail which leaves right from El Cap Meadows and goes up to The Nose. Although longer than the direct approaches on either side, the trail is a much more mellow experience for those laden by monstrous pigs. You can park in the Meadows, or just east of the bridge. It's also possible to park at a pullout beneath the Southeast Face directly opposite a big bend in the Merced River. There is a very steep but much shorter way up to the Zodiac area. Farthest east is the day-use picnic area at the start of the trail to Manure Pile Buttress. This is where the trail from the East Ledges descent ends. I don't believe you can park here overnight. Hiking Instructions: Put on your pig, place one foot in front of other, and start humping. Note that the pain you experience on the approach may be substantially less than that which you encounter on the wall! |
| Latitude, Longitude: | 37.73190, -119.63699 |
| Access Issues: | |
| Camping: | Pay |
| When to Climb: | |
| Quantity of Climbs: | Lifetime |
| Books: | Yosemite Select - Falcon Press/Big Walls by Don Reid-Chockstone 1993/SuperTopos-Chris McNamara 2000 |
| Click the Update links above to provide data for any blank field of this Area. To modify existing fields, send an Editor Note. | |
Forum Discussions (15)
| Subject | Author | Replies | Last Post | |
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Lurking Fear | mbg | 1 | Aug 13, 1:21 PM |
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Lost World, El Capitan, Yosemite | ghiz | 0 | Oct 19, 11:53 AM |
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Tangerine Trip | sierramike | 5 | Sep 03, 3:22 PM |
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Soloing Mescalito - 8/11/04 | lazide | 15 | May 25, 3:09 PM |
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Zodiac Beta | dagawebb | 1 | Jun 29, 5:39 PM |
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Pics from ElCap | skiclimb | 17 | Feb 22, 11:22 AM |
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1.5 or 2 inch holes on El Cap | silkyerm | 1 | Nov 29, 10:16 AM |
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Water Tank Going In On El Cap Summit? | dominator | 48 | Jan 16, 12:48 PM |
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100th El Cap Route | elcapbuzz | 8 | Sep 02, 1:27 AM |
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East Buttress of El Cap | markd | 11 | Aug 18, 9:41 AM |
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Beta for Ahab? | rickoldskool | 3 | Aug 20, 8:32 PM |
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Do you have info on Salathe' | yobbo | 9 | Aug 20, 3:52 PM |
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Possible Epic in Progress On Pacific Ocean Wall? | jmlangford | 5 | Apr 22, 9:30 PM |
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WELCOME TO EL CAP! | passthepitonspete | 20 | Oct 29, 11:13 AM |
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No info on El Cap | trevor | 4 | Oct 10, 12:09 AM |
