Mountains of the United States
From Alaska's Denali to the Sierra Nevada's Mount Whitney, the US spans an unusually wide range of mountain terrain. Below: the highest peaks and the major ranges worth knowing.
The Highest Peaks
Denali, in Alaska, is the tallest mountain in the US and all of North America at 20,310 feet — a 2015 remeasurement lowered it slightly from the long-cited 20,320 feet. In the contiguous 48 states, Mount Whitney in California's Sierra Nevada is the tallest at 14,505 feet.
Major US mountain ranges include the Rocky Mountains (spanning Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and beyond), the Sierra Nevada (California/Nevada), the Cascades (Washington/Oregon), and the much older, more weathered Appalachians in the East.
Plan a Route
Our California guide covers a Sierra Nevada high-desert loop that includes Mount Whitney's Eastern Sierra approach via Highway 395.
Mountains of the United States — Quick Facts
- Highest Peak (US)
- Denali, AK — 20,310 ft
- Highest in Lower 48
- Mount Whitney, CA — 14,505 ft
- Major Western Range
- Rocky Mountains
- Major Eastern Range
- Appalachian Mountains
- Youngest Major Range
- Cascades (volcanic, still active)