El Capitan

El Capitan is a mountain rock formation in Yosemite National Park. The rock outcropping is 3,000 feet tall. It is a vertical rock meaning that it has several cracks and edges, but on the whole it is straight up without any twists or turns. The rock is located in the north side of Yosemite Valley at the western edge of the park. El Capitan is made of granite. Numerous rock climbers come to test their skills on the rock each year due to its challenges.

It is thought that El Capitan was named by the Mariposa Battalion when they found the valley in 1851. They felt El Capitan was correct since the translation meant The Capitan or The Chief. It was considered a loose translation for the words the Native Americans used: To-to-kon oo-lah. It is unknown whether the Native Americans had a specific chief in mind or if they just used the name because of the structure of the rock formation looking like a tall chief or captain. For those who do not rock climb the trail to Yosemite Falls will bring them up to the top of El Capitan. There are dozens of routes for climbers.