Highest Mountains in the United States: Top 10

The highest mountains in the United States all rise in Alaska, led by Denali at 6,190 m, while Mount Whitney is the tallest summit outside the state.

This Finepedia guide, written in October 2026, ranks the ten tallest major peaks of the United States by summit height. Every one of them stands in Alaska, most of them in remote, ice-covered ranges close to the Canadian border. For more on high places and big landscapes, see the Finepedia guides Top 10 Highest Mountains in the World and Largest US States by Area: Top 10.

How We Chose These

We counted only major summits, meaning peaks that rise at least 500 m above the lowest col linking them to higher ground, so minor bumps on a ridge do not count as separate mountains. Heights come from published survey tables and the National Park Service, checked against at least two sources, and are rounded to the nearest metre with feet in brackets. Some Alaskan heights are still uncertain by a few metres, which we note where it matters. Mount Vancouver is left out because its higher north summit lies in Canada, and Mount Whitney, the top of the contiguous states, sits just outside the top ten in 11th place.

The 10 Highest US Mountains at a Glance

1. Denali Is the Roof of North America

Denali rises to 6,190 m (20,310 ft) in the Alaska Range, making it the tallest mountain on the continent. The current height comes from a 2015 survey. Its base sits on low ground, so the mountain climbs about 5,500 m above the land around it, one of the biggest rises of any peak on Earth.

Key Facts

• Height: 6,190 m (20,310 ft)
• Park: Denali National Park and Preserve
• First ascent: 7 June 1913, led by Harry Karstens and Hudson Stuck
• Name: Denali in Alaska; federally named Mount McKinley again since 2025

Did You Know?

The first person to stand on the summit in 1913 was Walter Harper, a young Alaska Native member of the climbing team. Denali is also the third most prominent peak in the world, after Everest and Aconcagua, because it stands so far above any higher ground.

2. Mount Saint Elias Rises Straight From the Sea

Mount Saint Elias reaches 5,489 m (18,008 ft) on the border between Alaska and Canada's Yukon. It stands only about 18 km from the Pacific coast, so it climbs from sea level to over 5,000 m in a very short distance.

Key Facts

• Height: 5,489 m (18,008 ft)
• Border: Alaska and Yukon
• First ascent: 31 July 1897, by an Italian team led by the Duke of the Abruzzi
• Park: Wrangell–St. Elias National Park

Why It Matters

Saint Elias ranks second in both the United States and Canada. Storms from the Gulf of Alaska and long, icy routes mean it is climbed far less often than Denali, even though it was conquered 16 years earlier.

3. Mount Foraker Stands Beside Denali

Mount Foraker reaches 5,304 m (17,400 ft) about 23 km southwest of Denali, inside the same national park. Climbers heading for Denali see it towering over their base camp on the Kahiltna Glacier.

Key Facts

• Height: 5,304 m (17,400 ft)
• Range: Alaska Range, where only Denali is taller
• First ascent: August 1934, by a three-man team including Charles Houston
• Named: 1899, after Ohio senator Joseph B. Foraker

Did You Know?

The Koyukon people had their own names for the peak, including one that means Denali's wife. The two mountains have long been seen as a pair by the Alaska Native peoples who live below them.

4. Mount Bona Is the Highest Volcano in the US

Mount Bona rises to about 5,044 m (16,550 ft) among the Saint Elias peaks of eastern Alaska. It is an ice-covered stratovolcano, and no other volcano in the United States is taller.

Key Facts

• Height: about 5,044 m (16,550 ft), exact figure still uncertain
• Type: stratovolcano
• First ascent: 1930, by Andrew Taylor, Allen Carpé and Terris Moore
• Glacier: main source of the Klutlan Glacier, which flows into Canada

Why It Matters

The Duke of the Abruzzi spotted the mountain in 1897 while climbing Saint Elias and named it after his racing yacht, the Bona. Only three Mexican volcanoes, led by Pico de Orizaba, stand taller among the volcanoes of North America.

5. Mount Blackburn Crowns the Wrangell Mountains

Mount Blackburn reaches 4,996 m (16,390 ft) and is the tallest summit of the Wrangell Mountains. It is an old, worn-down shield volcano in the middle of Wrangell–St. Elias, the biggest of all US national parks.

Key Facts

• Height: 4,996 m (16,390 ft)
• Type: shield volcano, second-highest volcano in the US
• First ascent of the true top: 30 May 1958
• Named: 1885, after Kentucky senator Joseph Blackburn

Did You Know?

In 1912 Dora Keen and George Handy reached Blackburn's lower east summit, a bold climb for its time. The higher west top was only reached in 1958, by a team that at first did not realise it had reached the true top.

6. Mount Sanford Has One of the Steepest Faces in North America

Mount Sanford rises to 4,949 m (16,237 ft) near the Copper River in eastern Alaska. It is a broad shield volcano, but its south face rises about 2,400 m in just 1.6 km above the Sanford Glacier.

Key Facts

• Height: 4,949 m (16,237 ft)
• Type: shield volcano, third-highest volcano in the US
• First ascent: 21 July 1938, by Terris Moore and Bradford Washburn
• Age: began forming about 900,000 years ago

Why It Matters

Sanford is one of the few giant Alaskan peaks that travellers can see from nearby highways, the National Park Service notes. Its gentler north side, the line taken by the first climbers, is still the standard way up, while the south face is a serious test for experts.

7. Mount Fairweather Watches Over Glacier Bay

Mount Fairweather reaches about 4,671 m (15,325 ft) on the border of Alaska and British Columbia, only around 20 km from the Pacific. Some surveys give a slightly lower figure of 4,653 m, but either way it ranks seventh in the country.

Key Facts

• Height: about 4,671 m (15,325 ft); some sources give 4,653 m
• Border: Alaska and British Columbia
• First ascent: 1931, by Terris Moore and Allen Carpé
• Park: Glacier Bay National Park

Did You Know?

Captain James Cook named the mountain in May 1778 because the weather was unusually fine when he sailed past. That is rare here, as the peak is often hidden by storms, and it is also the highest point of British Columbia.

8. Mount Hubbard Was Named After a Geographic Pioneer

Mount Hubbard reaches 4,557 m (14,951 ft) on the Alaska–Yukon border. It tops a big massif that also includes Mount Alverstone and Mount Kennedy.

Key Facts

• Height: 4,557 m (14,951 ft)
• Border: Alaska and Yukon
• Named: 1890, after Gardiner Greene Hubbard
• Nearby: the huge Hubbard Glacier, which reaches the sea

Why It Matters

Gardiner Greene Hubbard led the National Geographic Society as its first president, and the society helped pay for the 1890 expedition that named the peak. The west face rises about 2,300 m in under 3.5 km, showing how steep these coastal ranges are.

9. Mount Bear Is a Little-Known Giant

Mount Bear reaches 4,520 m (14,831 ft) among the Saint Elias peaks, about 6 km from the Yukon border. Hidden among better-known neighbours such as Mount Bona, it is one of the least visited of the tall Alaskan peaks.

Key Facts

• Height: 4,520 m (14,831 ft)
• Park: Wrangell–St. Elias National Park
• Glaciers: the Barnard Glacier begins on its southwest side
• Rise: about 2,400 m above the Barnard Glacier in under 8 km

Did You Know?

Wrangell–St. Elias, which holds Mount Bear, contains nine of the 16 highest peaks in the United States, the National Park Service says. The park covers about 13.2 million acres, roughly the size of six Yellowstones.

10. Mount Hunter Is Harder to Climb Than Denali

Mount Hunter rises to 4,442 m (14,573 ft) about 13 km south of Denali. It is much lower than its neighbour, but its sheer faces and corniced ridges make it one of the hardest major climbs in the Alaska Range.

Key Facts

• Height: 4,442 m (14,573 ft)
• Native name: Begguya, meaning Denali's child in Dena'ina
• First ascent: 1954, by Heinrich Harrer, Fred Beckey and Henry Meybohm
• Range: Alaska Range, third-highest major peak after Denali and Foraker

Why It Matters

Hunter is a favourite of top alpinists because almost every route is steep and technical. Its name came from Anna Falconnet Hunter, aunt of a reporter who visited in 1903, though the name was first meant for a different nearby mountain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which peak is the tallest outside Alaska?

Mount Whitney in California tops the contiguous United States, at about 4,421 m (14,505 ft). It is 11th overall, just behind Mount Hunter, and it is the highest point outside Alaska.

Why are the tallest US mountains all in Alaska?

Southern Alaska sits where the Pacific plate pushes against North America, which lifts huge coastal and inland ranges. Heavy snowfall then builds thick ice on them, adding to their height and grandeur.

Conclusion

From Denali's enormous bulk to the storm-wrapped peaks of the Saint Elias Mountains, the tallest US summits are wild, icy and remote. Many sit inside vast national parks and still see only a few climbers each year. For more on the world's great heights and landscapes, read the Finepedia guides Top 10 Highest Mountains in the World and Largest US States by Area: Top 10.