El Capitan is the eighth highest peak in Texas with a 305-foot prominence. Making it to the summit of this limestone mountain offers climbers a stunning vista. The natural beauty of the vast Texas desert spreads out below this dramatic peak in the Guadalupe Mountains. Sunset only adds to the ethereal quality. The exhilarating ascent is made in a roundabout manner, since there is no trail to the El Capitan summit. Instead, hikers must climb Guadalupe Mountain, then bushwhack to where the two meet, and ascend El Capitan from there. Autumn is the most comfortable time of year to make the climb.

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