El Capitan
A granite monolith rising about 900 m from the valley floor. It is a world-famous climbing mecca and the filming location of the documentary 'Free Solo'.
El Capitan stands on the north side of the western part of the valley and is one of the largest granite monoliths in the world. The classic sight is El Capitan Meadow, where a telescope lets you see climbers clinging to the rock face, and at night you can make out their headlamps as points of light. The 'Nose' route is the most famous climbing route. Valley View and Sentinel Beach along the road on the south side are also good viewing angles. During spring snowmelt, a ribbon waterfall, Ribbon Fall, appears on the east side too.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Horsetail Fall (Firefall)
- Bridalveil Fall
- Valley View (Gates of the Valley)
- Taft Point
- Tunnel View
- Yosemite Falls
- Yosemite Village & Ansel Adams Gallery
- Sentinel Dome