El Capitan
Trip Guide & 3D Map
Sierra Nevada · Difficulty, season, and access — then explore the 3D terrain
Planning snapshot
El Capitan is a 7,569 ft summit in the Sierra Nevada (USA). PeakAtlas rates it alpine technical (Elite big-wall); best season is Apr–Oct (climbers). Permit required. Typical staging is Yosemite Valley (3.0 mi). Limited lodging data is mapped from OpenStreetMap for this region — stage in the listed town rather than expecting a full hotel directory. Use the 3D map and trip checklist before you go.
- Elevation
- 7,569 ft
- Prominence
- 9 ft
- Difficulty tier
- Alpine technical
- Best season
- Apr–Oct (climbers)
- Permits
- Permit required
- Staging
- Yosemite Valley · 3.0 mi
- Mapped lodging
- Limited / none mapped
- Listed trails
- —
As of 2026-07-31 · Figures come from the PeakAtlas3D catalog: surveyed elevations and prominence, curated difficulty tiers, best-season windows, permit notes, staging-town distances, trail lists, and OpenStreetMap lodging near each summit. Not live weather, quotas, or prices.
How hard is El Capitan, and what do you need before you go?
El Capitan is listed as Elite big-wall with a best season of Apr–Oct (climbers). Use the difficulty, permit, and staging details below before you commit to a date.
- Difficulty
- Elite big-wall
- Best season
- Apr–Oct (climbers)
- Access / staging
- Yosemite Valley, California
How tall is El Capitan, and where is it?
- Location
- California, USA
- Elevation
- 7,569 ft
- Prominence
- 9 ft
- Mountain range
- Sierra Nevada
- Difficulty
- Elite big-wall
What makes El Capitan notable?
World-famous Yosemite big wall; iconic American climbing landmark. Topographic prominence is only ~9 ft — it is a cliff shoulder, not an independent summit.
Yosemite’s sheer granite monolith — one of the world’s most famous big walls, rising nearly 3,000 feet above the Valley floor.
After you check trip readiness for El Capitan, explore the summit on PeakAtlas3D’s interactive 3D topographic map in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA.
Closest places
- Yosemite Valley — California via Northside Dr
- El Portal — California via CA-140