10 Highest Mountains In The United States

The United States boasts a diverse range of majestic landscapes, including some of North America’s highest and most awe-inspiring mountains.

Alaska has the highest mountain peaks of any state. Because of their remote location in the Last Frontier, some of these mountains are rarely visited, but they retain their intimidating status as iconic features of Alaska’s landscape.

Ten of the top 10 highest mountain summits in the United States are in Alaska, with Mount Whitney located in California’s Sierra Nevada range. Only one mountain summit on this list, Mount Fairweather, shares an international border with Canada. This list excludes subsumptions (or subpeaks), which are peaks near a higher mountain with noticeable elevation or separation but do not meet specific height or distance criteria and are considered part of the same mountain.

top 10 Highest Mountains In The United States

MOUNT WHITNEY California

Mount Whitney is the United States’ tallest mountain that is not in Alaska. Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 metres), is the tallest mountain in the continental United States. It is a popular day hike and backpacking destination along the Pacific Crest Trail.

Mount Whitney is referred to as Too-man-i-goo-yah in the indigenous Paiute language. Mount Whitney is located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, bordering Sequoia National Park and the John Muir Trail.

In 1873, a team of American climbers led by Charles Begole, A. H. Johnson, and John Lucas made the first ascent of the mountain.

MOUNT Hunter, ALASKA

Mount Hunter is a 14,573-foot peak in Denali National Park. Mount Hunter, located approximately eight miles from Denali, was named Begguya by the Dena’ina people. Begguya means “child of Denali.”

Mount Hunter has two summits: the North Summit, which is considered the main summit, and the South Summit, named Mount Stevens after a former Alaska state senator.

The first recorded ascent of Mount Hunter occurred in 1954.

MOUNT BEAR, ALASKA

Mount Bear stands 14,831 feet (4520 metres) tall and is located in Alaska’s Wrangell-Saint Elias Mountains, only four rugged miles from the Canadian border.

Mount Bear contributes ice to the Barnard and Klutlan Glacier complexes. Mount Bear is a little-known peak that is frequently overlooked by mountaineering expeditions due to the nearby Mount Logan, Mount Bona, and Mount Lucania.

Mount Bear was first climbed in 1959 by a group of American and Canadian climbers led by Fred Beckey.

MOUNT HUBBARD, ALASKA, YUKON TERRITORY

Mount Hubbard is located in the Saint Elias Range, on the border between Alaska and the Yukon.

Mount Hubbard, at 14,951 feet (4557 metres), was named in 1890 after Gardiner Hubbard, the first president of the National Geographic Society, who sponsored the Russell Expedition to its flanks.

Mount Hubbard has three summits, including Mount Alverstone and Mount Kennedy.

On July 6, 1951, Walter Wood, Bob Bates, and Bill Hackett completed the first successful ascent of Mount Hubbard.

MOUNT FAIRWEATHER: ALASKA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Glacier Bay is one of Alaska’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting millions of visitors each year to see the tidewater glaciers, wildlife, and remote beauty of the region.

For thousands of years, indigenous Alaskans have lived at the base of these mountains and glaciers. The Tlingit language refers to Mount Fairweather as Tsalxhaan or Tanaku, while the mountains between it and Mount Saint Elias are known as Tsalxhaan Yatx’i, or the Children of Tsalxhaan.

Mount Fairweather stands 15,325 feet (4671 metres) tall and is located in Glacier Bay, the City and Borough of Yakutat, Alaska, and British Columbia, Canada.

On June 8, 1931, Allen Carpé, Terris Moore, and Andrew Taylor completed the first successful ascent of Mount Fairweather.

MOUNT SaNFORD, ALASKA

Mount Sanford is a dormant shield volcano in the Wrangell Mountains. Mount Sanford, at 16,237 feet (4,949 metres) high, is the third-highest volcano in the US.

Mount Sanford is located in the Wrangell Volcanic Field of eastern Alaska, within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

The ice from the mountain contributes to the appropriately named Sanford Glacier.

The volcano has not been active since before the historical record began in the 1700s; however, vapour, rock, and ice fall from near the summit, giving the appearance of smoke or ash rising from it.

On July 21, 1938, Wilfred H. Babcock, H. Adams Carter, Elton Thayer, and Terris Moore completed the first successful ascent of Mount Sanford. Mount Sanford remains a popular destination for mountaineering expeditions.

MOUNT BLACKBURN, ALASKA

Mount Blackburn is an old, eroded shield volcano that peaks at 16,390 feet (4996 meters). It is the second-highest volcano in the United States and the fifth-highest mountain. Mount Blackburn is surrounded by several glaciers, including the Kennicott Glacier to the west and the Nabesna Glacier to the north.

Mount Blackburn is the primary source of ice flowing into the Kennicott Glacier, which attracts visitors looking for the mining ghost town of Kennecott and McCarthy’s jumping-off point. The mountain also contributes ice to the Nabesna and Kuskulana glaciers.

On May 30, 1958, Bruce Gilbert, Dick Wahlstrom, Hans Gmoser, Adolf Bitterlich, and Leon Blumer completed the first successful ascent of Mount Blackburn.

MOUNT Bona-Alaska

Mount Bona is a dormant stratovolcano situated in the Saint Elias Mountains. Mount Bona is located in the eastern Alaska Range of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest national park in the United States.

Mount Bona, at 16,550 feet (5,040 metres), is the United States’ highest volcano and fourth-highest mountain. Mount Bona is also the United States’ fifth-highest independent peak.

Mount Bona is surrounded by large icefields, including the Russell Glacier to the north and the University Range to the west. The Klutlan Glacier, which is covered in glaciers and ice fields, flows into Yukon Territory, Canada, and contributes significantly to the Russell Glacier complex.

Mount Bona is near several other high peaks in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, such as Mount Blackburn, Mount Sanford, and Mount Wrangell. This makes the area a popular choice for mountaineers looking to climb multiple high peaks in the same area.

On June 8, 1930, Allen Carpe, Terris Moore, and Andrew Taylor completed the first successful ascent of Mount Bona.

MOUNT FORAKER, ALASKA

On a clear day, Mount Foraker can be seen alongside Denali in the Alaska Range.

Mount Foraker, the third-highest peak in the United States, has an elevation of 17,400 feet (5304 meters).

Mount Foraker is located in the central Alaska Range of Denali National Park and Preserve, about 14 miles (23 kilometres) southwest of Denali, North America’s highest peak.

Mount Foraker is also situated on a fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, the longest glacier in the Alaska Range, across from Denali and Mount Hunter.

Mount Foraker is known as Sultana (meaning ‘the woman’) or Menlale (meaning ‘Denali’s wife’) in the Dena’ina language due to its proximity to Denali.

In 1934, Charles Houston, T. Graham Brown, and Chychele Waterston became the first to successfully summit the north and south peaks.

MOUNT SAINT ELIAS – ALASKA YUKON

Mount Saint Elias is located in the Saint Elias Mountain Range of northern southeast Alaska, straddling the Alaska-Canadian border. At 18,009 feet (5,489 metres), it is the second highest mountain in the United States and Canada, after Mount Logan.

Mount Saint Elias is part of the Saint Elias Mountains, a subrange of the Pacific Coast Ranges that extends from southeastern Alaska through the Yukon and northern British Columbia.

Mount Saint Elias is located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the US’s largest national park. This National Park contains nine of the United States’ sixteen highest peaks.

The mountain range near Glacier Bay is known for its abundance of glaciers and icefields, as well as tectonic and volcanic activity, making it a popular destination for both modern and historical explorations.

The indigenous Yakutat Tlingit people who have lived in the area for thousands of years refer to Mount Saint Elias as Yaséitʼaa Shaa or Shaa Tlein.

The first recorded summit of Mount Saint Elias was reached by an Italian expedition in 1897. On July 31, 1897, the Italian team was led by Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of Abruzzi, and included guides and climbers from the United States.

Denali-Alaska: THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE UNITED STATES

Denali, the highest peak in the United States, stands at 20,310 feet (6,190 metres) tall. Denali is the highest peak in North America and ranks third among the Seven Summits, following Mount Everest and Aconcagua.