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EL CAPITAN

June 26, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

California (2,308 m) – World’s Most Popular Rock Climbing Destination

El Capitan is one of the largest granite monoliths in the Western United States and the most famous feature of Yosemite National Park.  Famous for its nearly vertical rock faces, El Capitan was once deemed impossible to climb.  However, many of its surfaces have been conquered in the last half century, and it is now considered the Holy Grail for rock climbers.  For many truly serious rock climbers it has become an all-but-mandatory bucket list item.

The mountain was known to local tribes who knew the area well before the arrival of Europeans.  The name El Capitan was a rough Spanish translation for the local word meaning “chief”.  It was explored in 1851, and incorporated into Yosemite National Park in 1890.  The feature of El Capitan known as “the Nose” was first climbed in 1958 by one Warren Harding (no relation to the president).

Thanks to its prominent location in one of America’s most popular national parks, as well as its reputation among rock climbers, El Capitan is one of the most popular and photographed mountains in the world.  It has become a mecca for rock climbers, thousands of whom attempt the ascent every year.  Major highways provide access to San Francisco and Sacramento, each approximately 150 miles to the west and northwest, respectively.

Filed Under: Mountain Tagged With: US-California

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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