Climb the Rock
ChiefFirst, the facts: Known universally as"El Cap," El Capitan is the largest chunk of exposed granite on earth. Comprised of two intersecting faces, it's a half-mile high and a mile wide. The rock is famously solid. And its sheer 3,000-foot face is the world's finest big-wall climbing surface — and indisputably the number-one totem of the American climbing community. Warren Harding pioneered the first route to the summit, "The Nose," in 1958; there are now some 80 established routes to the top, many of them multi-pitch monsters that demand extreme aid-climbing skills and require nights bivvied on the rock. Springtime is the best time to climb El Cap; the days are long and the weather is often perfect for weeks at a time. By June, the wall can be an inferno due to high temperatures. By September, the days are too short and the nights can be chilly. Old Camp 4 is the traditional climbers' camp, and no reservations are taken there. But as Yosemite is frequently very crowded, you might want to make advance reservations at another nearby site.