Overview"The precipitous cliffs of El Capitan punctuate the southern tip of the Guadalupes and jut above the desert floor like the prow of a great ship. In 1858, a traveler, seeing El Capitan for the first time, wrote: "It seemed as if nature had saved all her ruggedness to pile up in this colossal form. . . ." Visible for many miles from both east and west, the peak has served as a landmark for travelers for unnumbered centuries. " Text Source
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Rising over 4,000 feet above the salt flats below like a giant fortress guarding over the Guadalupes, El Capitan dominates the West Texas skyline. Overshadowed in height by its neighbor Guadalupe Peak, El Capitan is not overshadowed in status. Capped off with a rugged 1,000 ft. sheer limestone cliff, El Capitan is certainly the captain and signature peak of Texas mountains. El Capitan ranks as the eighth highest peak in Texas.
El Capitan is located in the romote and beautiful Guadalupe Mountains National Park (see the Guadalupe Peak page for more information on the park), located in West Texas just south of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The Guadalupe Mountain Range is the largest exposed ancient fossil reef in the world. Overshadowed by the other more popular national park in Texas (Big Bend), the Guadalupe Mountains have something that Big Bend doesn't have; bragging rights to the best view in Texas (Hunter Peak), and the prettiest spot in Texas (McKittrick Canyon). The view from El Capitan is just as spectacular. Mountain Conditions
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