And since you're come this far, perhaps you're willing to explore a little further.
The Top-Out
The final sprint to the summit tree
The Finish Line
This tree marks the top of the route.
Sprint to the Tree
When Alex Honnold climbs El Capitan, he’s often setting speed records. Here he sprints with every last ounce of energy to slap the summit tree and check his watch.
Half Dome
Far up the Valley sits Yosemite’s other iconic monolith, Half Dome. Alex Honnold made climbing history when free soloed the 2000 foot wall in 2008, meaning he climbed it without gear to protect him from a fall.
When Alex Honnold encounters stretches too difficult to free solo - climbing without any safety gear - he grabs hold of pieces of nylon left behind by other climbers to keep moving quickly.
Exposure
From the final headwall, the exposure below is gut-wrenching: 3000 feet of air beneath a climber's feet.
Summit Is Near
Almost at the top! The final headwall is the last obstacle on the route.
To pass a section known as the Changing Corners - one of the most difficult sections of The Nose - Lynn Hill uses oppositional pressures to stay glued to the wall.
Cheater Sling on Bolt
Short pieces of rope dangle from these bolts - making it easier for short climbers to reach the protection point.
As if he's clutching the side of a dinner plate, Alex Honnold grabs hold of the flake to climb up. Other times, he jams his entire hand inside the 2-3 inch wide crack.
Pancake Flake
A granite flake as thin as a pancake was formed when the left side of the wall overlaps the right, creating perfect handholds.
Upper Pancake Flake
As the crack above narrows, the difficulty increases as it's harder to find a good place for the climber’s hands and feet.
The Great Roof is one of the most challenging obstacles on the entire route. The tiny crack that runs along the back of the roof means it can only be climbed using the tips of the fingers.
Footholds
Lynn Hill's feet are pasted onto a sheer wall. She uses strength, technique and superhuman body tension to stay on the rock.
Pancake Flake
Above the Great Roof lies an easier section called the Pancake Flake, where the gap in the rock widens enough for climbers to put their hands in the crack.
Chalk Bag
Climbers dip their hands into chalk bags clipped onto their waist to keep their fingers dry and ensure a good grip on the rock.
Great Roof
One of the most recognizable features on El Capitan, The Great Roof is easily seen from the ground.
To skip over a section without any holds, Alex Honnold does the “King Swing.” Swinging across this part of wall allows him to reach a vertical crack system far to the left.
The Meadow
Far below, tourists in El Capitan Meadow squint to spot the climbers high up on the wall above.
King Swing
Alex Honnold needs to swing far enough to latch onto the rock edge at the skyline.
Boot Flake
To set up the King Swing, Alex Honnold first climbs to the top of The Boot Flake, a giant, thin chunk of granite above. He then rappels down to the bottom of his rope and swings across.
Few climbers in the world feel more comfortable hanging from the side of a cliff than Alex Honnold.
Texas Flake
Seen from the ground, the flake roughly resembles the state of Texas.
Tight Shoes
Like ballerinas, climbers wear tight shoes - they’re usually a few sizes smaller than their street shoes. It helps them better feel the rock. Any chance they get, climbers slip them off to give their aching toes a rest.
Rappel Station
Rappel rings attached to bolts can be used, along with a rope, to descend from a climb. These retreats can happen due to bad weather, injuries, or an understandable loss of nerve.
Safety Protection
While climbing mostly free solo, meaning alone and without safety gear, Alex Honnold wears a safety harness so he can occasionally secure himself directly into bolts or other protection on the wall.
North America Wall
As seen from the ground, this dark gray colored diorite rock forms a crude shape of North America.
This side profile of Texas Flake (so named for its shape of the Lone Star State) shows how three sides of this giant chunk of granite are detached from the wall.
Chimney Maneuver
Alex Honnold employs a “chimney technique” to ascend the Texas Flake, using his entire body to shimmy his way up the shaft.
Orange Streak
The granite of El Capitan is home to a complex array of geological formations. This orange streak is likely a small iron oxide stain.
Bolts
Climbers clip their ropes into carabiners that are attached to the bolts. A single bolt is designed to hold 5000 pounds.
About halfway up the 3000 foot route, El Cap Tower makes a comfortable ledge to stop for the night.
Cooking
Lynn Hill helps prepare a simple dinner of pasta with pesto sauce. Food is fuel, and tomorrow is another big day of climbing.
Portaledge
Big wall climbing is known as vertical camping. Climbers rely on hanging beds known as portaledges to provide a good nights rest suspended above the abyss.
Cell Phone
Alex Honnold takes a break to check email. While cell phone coverage on the Yosemite Valley floor is spotty, the signal up on the wall is great!
Tommy Caldwell
<a href="#el-cap-tower-camp-night/athletes/Tommy">Tommy Caldwell</a>, best known for his climb of El Capitan's Dawn Wall route, joins Alex Honnold and Lynn Hill for a night on the wall.
Climbing El Capitan, the view across the valley is of Middle Cathedral Rock, a 2000 foot cliff.
Anchor Bolt
Metal anchor bolts inserted into into the rock wall secure the hanging cot known as a portaledge. Each bolt is strong enough to hold up a car.
Pee Bottle
Climbers must be careful to keep the route clean. When nature calls, #1 is best relieved in a bottle.
Poop Can
All human waste must be deposited in a sealed container and carried up (and off) the climb. El Capitan is classified as a wilderness area, with strict rules about keeping it clean.
To climb the Stovelegs, Alex Honnold uses a climbing technique known as “jamming” - sticking his hands and feet directly into the crack.
Bolts
This line of bolts marks the original route, as first climbed by Warren Harding in 1958. Climbers nowadays prefer to ascend the cleaner, more elegant Stovelegs to the right.
In 1958, Warren Harding and two friends completed the first ascent
Warren Harding
Warren Harding was a hard-drinking iconoclast who made the first ascent of El Capitan, via The Nose route, in 1958. His ascent, a remarkable feat for the time, took 18 months.
Equipment
60 years ago, climbing gear was rudimentary and heavy. To go up a wall like El Capitan, hundreds of pounds of equipment, food and water were required.
Shoes
Before sticky rubber climbing shoes were invented, climbers had nothing but heavy, lug-soled boots.
While most climbers use ropes to protect them, Alex Honnold climbs nearly all The Nose "free solo". Only his hands and feet, and unrivaled skill and nerve, keep him attached to the wall. The equipment and rope he carries help him get through the most difficult sections.
The Sentinel
Looking across the valley to the east, the sun hits The Sentinel, another iconic monolith that Alex Honnold climbed without a rope. The television coverage made him the most famous climber in the world.
Alex Honnold
<a href="#alex-first-pitch/athletes/Alex">Alex Honnold</a> is one of the world's greatest climbers. He holds the speed record for The Nose, and is best known for climbing massive rock walls with no ropes to protect him if he falls. He says he knows himself well enough to keep himself safe.
To climb El Capitan, Lynn Hill relies on an array of spring-loaded “cams” which are placed in cracks in the rock. She attaches the rope to the cams so the gear catches her if she falls.
Knot
Lynn Hill ties in to the end of the rope using a double bowline knot. While many climbers prefer a figure eight knot, either work if tied correctly.
The Summit
The summit is 3000 feet above. While the first ascent took 18 months, Lynn Hill set a new record in 1993 when she climbed the Nose with only her hands and feet in less than a day.
Lynn's Shoes
Climbers use tight shoes with sticky rubber soles to help adhere to the tiny bumps and slippery edges of the rock face. Footwork is key!
Partner
As Lynn Hill climbs, her partner belays. This means he feeds out rope so she can climb, while at the same time being alert to pull the rope tight and catch her if she falls.
Lynn Hill
<a href="#lynn-racking-at-base/athletes/Lynn">Lynn Hill</a>, is one of the greatest climbing legends of all time, renowned for becoming the first person - man or woman - to make a free climb of The Nose in 1993. Previously, all climbers relied on equipment inserted into the rock to move up the wall.
Climb the famous Dawn Wall with Tommy Caldwell and take a peek into Alex's home on wheels.
Alex's Van
A tiny house on wheels
Cutting Vegetables
Alex Honnold is a vegetarian, mainly for environmental reasons. Contrary to what some people imagine, he swears it doesn't affect his athletic performance.
Bed
Alex Honnold sleeps in his van, allowing him to travel and live next to the best climbing cliffs in North America.
El Capitan
Alex Honnold holds the speed record for climbing The Nose. In 2012, he and partner Hans Florine climbed it in just under 2 hours and 24 minutes. The route takes most people 3-5 days to complete.
Solar Power
The van is hooked up to solar power. Alternative energy projects are one focus of Alex Honnold’s <a href="http://honnoldfoundation.org" target="_blank">charitable work</a>.
Guidebook
Climbers rely on guidebooks, with their route maps and descriptions, to find the way up the wall.
Tommy Caldwell’s belayer is ready to catch him if he falls. On the most difficult pitch of the Dawn Wall, Tommy must climb sideways in a long and strenuous traverse.
Tommy's Hand
Notice what’s missing? In 2001, Tommy Caldwell sliced off his index finger in a table saw accident. But that didn’t stop him from doing the hardest climb in Yosemite’s history.
Shadow Line
The Dawn Wall, or the Wall of the Early Morning Light, gets this apt name because it catches the first light as the sun breaks over the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Bolt
The route continues traversing towards this bolt, which Tommy Caldwell depends on to keep him safe if he falls.
Yosemite National Park works to preserve and protect special places like El Cap.
Sarah Stock
Ornitholigist
Yosemite National Park
The peregrine falcon's return to Yosemite is an environmental victory.
Greg Stock
Geologist
Yosemite National Park
Over three million years, slow moving glaciers have shaped Yosemite's granite walls.
Jesse Chakrin
Educator
Yosemite Leadership Program
Jesse's team is dedicated to helping youth experience the park firsthand.
Ken Yager
Yosemite Climbing Association
Picking up a million pounds of trash is a team effort.
Yosemite Street View: Climb the Nose
We launched our first-ever vertical Street View collection, giving you the opportunity to climb 3,000 feet up the world’s most famous rock wall: Yosemite’s El Capitan. To bring you this new imagery, we partnered with legendary climbers Lynn Hill, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell. These 360-degree panoramic images are the closest thing ever witnessed to actually being thousands of feet up a vertical rock face—better than any video or photo.
Welcome to The Nose of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park -- the most iconic rock climb on earth. Tighten your harness and double-check your knot, to join Lynn Hill, Alex Honnold, and Tommy Caldwell on a 3,000 foot interactive journey up El Capitan.
Special thanks to Yosemite National Park for their assistance and collaboration, and for protecting and preserving special places like El Cap.
The World’s most famous climbers pushing the limits in Yosemite
Alex Honnold
Lynn Hill
Tommy Caldwell
Yosemite Experts
Behind the scenes
Embed El Cap
More Street View
Climb the Nose in Street View
Yosemite Experts
People who have dedicated their lives to Yosemite National Park share insights into their world.
Behind the scenes
A glimpse into how Street View was collected up a 3,000 foot cliff.
More Street View from Yosemite
Climb the famous Dawn Wall with Tommy Caldwell and take a peek into Alex's home on wheels.
Embed Yosemite Street View on your website
Embedding the entire Trek
You can embed the entire Treks page into an Iframe by:
(It accepts the same GET parameters for configuration, which are applied globally.)
Embedding a single pano
You can also just show one 360 degree pano in an Iframe, with the audio/video and informational content overlaid.
Each 360 degree pano is customizable. You can add or remove the informational content, the audio/video, or anything else by changing the URL parameters You can add some parameters to the URL to change these settings:
autopan=0disables initial auto-panning
voiceover=0disables the pano voiceover/video
autoplay=1enables auto-playing of the voiceover track after pano activation (doesn't do anything in this example)
athletes=0disables the athletes' biography icon
hotspots=0disables the hotspots within the pano
intro=0disables the intro text and "Explore" button
You can chain URL parameters using the ampersand character:
audacious free-solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. A gifted but hard-working athlete, Alex “No Big Deal” Honnold is known as much for his humble, self-effacing attitude as he is for the dizzyingly tall cliffs he has climbed without a rope to protect him if he falls. Honnold has been profiled by 60 Minutes and the New York Times, featured on the cover of National Geographic, appeared in international television commercials and starred in numerous adventure films including the Emmy-nominated “Alone on the Wall.” Alex Honnold's Website
Lynn Hill
when she was just 17, was already an elite climber living in Yosemite’s Camp 4 and completing numerous first ascents. Soon thereafter she was traveling the world, winning competitions, and upping the standards for women in the sport. In 1992, she returned to her California roots to make the first free ascent of the Yosemite’s Nose route, becoming the first person - man or woman - to climb the iconic route in this pure, next-level style. Her climb of the Nose is widely recognized as the one the most noteworthy achievements for women in sports. Lynn Hill's Website
Tommy Caldwell
recently completed the first free ascent of the Dawn Wall on El Capitan. His climb garnered unprecedented attention from the media, transforming Caldwell into arguably the most famous climber in the world. Caldwell is nominated as National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. Tommy Caldwell's Website
