The United States has a varied landscape with many mountain ranges and other geographical features. Major mountain ranges in the United States are the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, the Alaska Range, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevadas. These ranges are further divided into smaller subranges and ridges.
At 6,194 meters (20,320 feet) above sea level, Mount McKinley in Alaska is the tallest mountain peak in the US.
Mount Logan is the second tallest, at 5,959 meters (19,545 feet), followed by Mount Orizaba, Mount St. Elias, and Mount Popocatepetl.
The tallest mountain peak in the contiguous United States is Mount Whitney which stands at 4421 meters (14,505 feet). If you like to know about the world’s tallest mountains, check out this article: Tallest Mountains in the World.
Major mountain ranges in the US
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Rocky Mountains :
The Rockies are a major mountain range in North America, running 3,000 miles from western Canada to the state of New Mexico. The Rockies include several subranges, including the Wasatch, Bitterroots, Big Horn, and Front Ranges. Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming are considered Mountain States in the country.
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Appalachian Mountains :
The Appalachian Mountain Range straddle the eastern United States, stretching from Alabama, northeast across New England, and extending further up to Canada. The range is about 1,500 miles long, and traverses the US states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. The Appalachian Range also usually includes the Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains, and Allegheny Mountains.
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Cascades :
The Cascade Range along the West Coast of the United States extend from Canada into the US states of Washington, Oregon, and California. These mountains were formed as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and feature volcanoes such as Mount St. Helens and Lassen.
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Sierra Nevada :
The Sierra Nevada mountains, located in the western states of California and Nevada, are about 400 miles long. The name Sierra Nevada is Spanish for “snowy mountains,” referring to the snow-capped summits. Many of the mountains are formed of granite and shaped by glaciers.
Mountain Ranges in the US |
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| Summit | State | Quadrangle2 | Date | Elevation(feet) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Churchhill Peaks | AK | Mount McKinley A-3 | 1954 | 20,320 |
| North Peak | AK | Mount McKinley A-3 | 1954 | 19,470 |
| South Peak | AK | Mount McKinley A-3 | 1954 | 20,320 |
| Mount St. Elias | AK | Mount St. Elias B-8 | 1985 | 18,008 |
| Mount Foraker | AK | Talkeetna D-3 | 1958 | 17,400 |
| Mount Bona | AK | McCarthy B-2 | 1959 | 16,500 |
| Mount Blackburn | AK | McCarthy C-7 | 1959 | 16,390 |
| Mount Sanford | AK | Gulkana A-1 | 1959 | 16,237 |
| Mount Vancouver | AK | Mount St. Elias A-2 | 1985 | 15,979 |
| South Buttress | AK | Mount McKinley A-2 | 1954 | 15,885 |
| Mount Churchill | AK | McCarthy B-2 | 1959 | 15,638 |
| Mount Fairweather | AK | Mount Fairweather D-5 | 1961 | 15,300 |
| Mount Hubbard | AK | Mount St. Elias B-3 | 1985 | 14,950 |
| Mount Bear | AK | McCarthy B-1 | 1959 | 14,831 |
| East Buttress | AK | Mount McKinley A-2 | 1954 | 14,730 |
| Mount Hunter | AK | Talkeetna D-3 | 1958 | 14,573 |
| Browne Tower | AK | Mount McKinley A-2 | 1954 | 14,530 |
| Mount Alverstone | AK | Mount St. Elias B-3 | 1985 | 14,500 |
| Mount Whitney | CA | Mount Whitney | 1985 | 114,494 |
| University Peak | AK | McCarthy B-3 | 1959 | 14,470 |
| Mount Elbert | CO | Mount Elbert | 1967 | 114,433 |
| Mount Massive | CO | Mount Massive | 1967 | 14,421 |
| Mount Harvard | CO | Mount Harvard | 1982 | 14,420 |
| Mount Rainier | WA | Mount Rainier West | 1971 | 14,410 |
| Mount Williamson | CA | Mount Williamson | 1984 | 14,370 |
| La Plata Peak | CO | Mount Elbert | 1967 | 14,361 |
| Blanca Peak | CO | Blanca Peak | 1967 | 14,345 |
| Uncompahgre Peak | CO | Uncompahgre Peak | 1963 | 14,309 |
| Crestone Peak | CO | Crestone Peak | 1967 | 14,294 |
| Mount Lincoln | CO | Alma | 1970 | 14,286 |
| Grays Peak | CO | Grays Peak | 1958 | 14,270 |
| Mount Antero | CO | Mount Antero | 1983 | 14,269 |
| Torreys Peak | CO | Grays Peak | 1958 | 14,267 |
| Castle Peak | CO | Hayden Peak | 1960 | 14,265 |
| Quandary Peak | CO | Breckenridge | 1970 | 14,265 |
| Mount Evans | CO | Mount Evans | 1957 | 14,264 |
| Longs Peak | CO | Longs Peak | 1961 | 14,255 |
| Mount Wilson | CO | Mount Wilson | 1953 | 14,246 |
| White Mount Peak | CA | White Mount Peak (15′) | 1962 | 14,246 |
| North Palisade | CA | North Palisade | 1982 | 14,242 |
| Mount Cameron | CO | Alma | 1970 | 14,238 |
| Mount Shavano | CO | Maysville | 1983 | 14,229 |
| Mount Belford | CO | Mount Harvard | 1982 | 14,197 |
| Mount Princeton | CO | Mount Antero | 1982 | 14,197 |
| Crestone Needle | CO | Crestone Peak | 1967 | 14,197 |
| Mount Yale | CO | Mount Harvard | 1982 | 14,196 |
| Mount Bross | CO | Alma | 1970 | 14,172 |
| Kit Carson Mountain | CO | Crestone Peak | 1967 | 14,165 |
| Mount Wrangell | AK | Gulkana A-1 | 1959 | 14,163 |
| Mount Shasta | CA | Shasta | 1986 | 14,162 |
| El Diente Peak | CO | Dolores Peak | 1953 | 14,159 |
| Point Success | WA | Mount Rainier West | 1971 | 14,158 |
| Maroon Peak | CO | Maroon Bells | 1960 | 14,156 |
| Tabeguache Peak | CO | St. Elmo | 1982 | 14,155 |
| Mount Oxford | CO | Mount Harvard | 1982 | 14,153 |
| Mount Sill | CA | North Palisade | 1982 | 14,153 |
| Mount Sneffels | CO | Mount Sneffels | 1967 | 14,150 |
| Mount Democrat | CO | Climax | 1970 | 14,148 |
| Capitol Peak | CO | Capitol Peak | 1960 | 14,130 |
| Liberty Cap | WA | Mount Rainier West | 1971 | 14,112 |
| Pikes Peak | CO | Pikes Peak | 1951 | 14,110 |
| Snowmass Mountain | CO | Snowmass Mountain | 1960 | 14,092 |
| Mount Russell | CA | Mount Whitney | 1985 | 14,088 |
| Mount Eolus | CO | Mount Whitney | 1985 | 14,083 |
| Windom Peak | CO | Columbine Pass | 1973 | 14,082 |
| Mount Columbia | CO | Mount Harvard | 1982 | 14,073 |
| Mount Augusta | AK | Mount St. Elias | 1985 | 14,070 |
| Missouri Mountain | CO | Winfield | 1982 | 14,067 |
| Humboldt Peak | CO | Crestone Peak | 1967 | 14,064 |
| Mount Bierstadt | CO | Mount Evans | 1957 | 14,060 |
| Sunlight Peak | CO | Storm King Peak | 1964 | 14,059 |
| Split Mountain | CA | Split Mountain | 1984 | 14,058 |
| Handies Peak | CO | Handies Peak | 1955 | 14,048 |
| Culebra Peak | CO | Culebra Peak | 1955 | 14,047 |
| Mount Lindsey | CO | Blanca Peak | 1967 | 14,042 |
| Ellingwood Point | CO | Blanca Peak | 1967 | 14,042 |
| Little Bear Peak | CO | Blanca Peak | 1967 | 14,037 |
| Mount Sherman | CO | Mount Sherman | 1961 | 14,036 |
| Redcloud Peak | CO | Redcloud Peak | 1964 | 14,034 |
| Mount Langley | CA | Mount Langley | 1982 | 14,026 |
| Conundrum Peak | CO | Hayden Peak | 1960 | 14,022 |
| Mount Tyndall | CA | Mount Williamson | 1984 | 14,019 |
| Pyramid Peak | CO | Maroon Bells | 1960 | 14,018 |
| Wilson Peak | CO | Mount Wilson | 1953 | 14,017 |
| Wetterhorn Peak | CO | Wetterhorn Peak | 1963 | 14,015 |
| North Maroon Peak | CO | Maroon Bells | 1960 | 14,014 |
| San Luis Peak | CO | San Luis Peak | 1986 | 14,014 |
| Mount Muir | CA | Mount Whitney | 1985 | 14,012 |
| Middle Palisade | CA | Split Mountain | 1984 | 14,012 |
| Mount of the Holy Cross | CO | Mount of the Holy Cross | 1970 | 14,005 |
| Huron Peak | CO | Winfield | 1982 | 14,003 |
| Thunderbolt Peak | CA | North Palisade | 1982 | 14,003 |
| Sunshine Peak | CO | Redcloud Peak | 1964 | 14,001 |
Source: National Geodetic Survey