Can you hike el capitan

The second half of the trail up is widely regarded as relentlessly steep. It is encouraged that travelers take frequent breaks to avoid tiring out too soon in the journey.

While it is by no means required to visit Eagle Peak, it is the highest of the Three Brothers rock formation and offers unparalleled views of Yosemite Valley. It sits just East of the El Capitan summit. It is key to note that this climb is not recommended during the winter months, as snowfall can envelop trail markers. The path to Eagle Peak is shady, not too slippery, and a bit easier of an uphill climb. Visitors enjoy the shady respite of the dense forest. The path is intermittently narrow, and periodically requires hikers to scale up large and flat rocks.

This area is wonderful spot for a lunch or rest break. In the final leg to the El Capitan summit, the trail ebbs and flows in elevation, hiking through rocks and forest. The summit is wide and spacious. It is the perfect place to soak in gorgeous views of Yosemite Valley while celebrating the accomplishment of completing a challenging hike.

Finally, the descent is considered to be just as difficult as the hike up to the summit. This is a great place to watch climbers in action, though they can be hard to spot because many people misjudge the massive scale of El Cap.

Note : El Capitan meadow is currently under restoration, so please look from one of the viewing areas close to the road, or if you want to walk back into the meadow, use the trail on the eastern edge, close to the river and avoid trampling the center of the meadow where it is most sensitive to impact. Anytime, really. El Capitan is located in Yosemite Valley and is therefore accessible year-round, and majestic in all seasons. For photography, stormy winter days often produce the most interesting light, with dramatic clouds swirling about the cliff face.

El Capitan was thrust into the limelight recently through a few jaw-dropping films. These El Capitan climbing stories were recently made into movies, but the stories of characters, adventure, teamwork, and bravery go back far beyond that.

If you want to make your own stories, go rock climbing with the Yosemite Mountaineering School. To enjoy full functionality and stability on this website please view in Google Chrome or Firefox , thank you!

El Capitan. Category: Yosemite Attractions. Region: Yosemite Valley. Near El Capitan Gully, take a careful peek down into the impressive crack. The trail then circles around the gully and soon enough, we are standing on top of El Capitan! Take the short spur trail south to stand on the summit block proper.

Note that while standing on top of the dome formation, you don't really get a sense of the ft sheer wall directly to the south, but you do get a great view of Half Dome to the east! Continuing along the trek, it's roughly another 2 miles to Eagle Peak. Along the way, Eagle Peak will come into view; it's a scraggly ridgeline with numerous boulders sprinkled over it.

While crossing a few sections of open rock, you may lose the actual trail, but it should be easy enough to pick it up again at the other side. The trail gets siphoned in the Eagle Creek gully and after a bit more uphill, we reach the spur with the trail to Eagle Peak. If you have the energy, take the 1-mile round trip hike up to Eagle Peak; the summit ridge is covered with interesting rock formations and the top-of-the-world views of Yosemite Valley and Half Dome are spectacular.

Now it's time to start heading out. The main trail continues another 2 miles through the forested Eagle Peak Meadows and then at the trail junction, turn right south to head towards the Yosemite Falls Trail down into the valley. While you may be thankful that there is no more significant uphill left to the trek, going down the Yosemite Falls Trail is still a ft elevation drop along 3 miles of cobblestone trail that will give a good beatdown to your legs.