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OVERVIEW OF THE U.S. STATE HIGHPOINTS


Mt. Whitney, California Mount Sunflower, Kansas Guadalupe Peak, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Welcome to Bigroads.com's guide to the highpoints of the United States!

There are 50 states in the United States, so naturally there are also 50 state highpoints. One of the things that U.S. travelers, adventurers and road-trippers like to do is to try to visit as many of these highpoints as possible (these folks are called "Highpointers").

In season, you can drive up to, or within a short walking distance of, many of the 50 state highpoints. However, other highpoints require more effort, demanding anything from short walks to backpacking trips to serious multi-day mountaineering endeavors.

Presented below is an overview of the 50 U.S. state highpoints. Take note that some trailhead and summit roads, and actual trails themselves, may be closed and/or dangerous to travel throughout the winter. Also take note that permission from landowners to visit the highpoint is sometimes required if the highpoint is located on private property.

If you are interested in visiting the U.S. state highpoints, we highly recommended that you pick up a copy of either (or both) of these two great guidebooks:
Highpoints of the United States: A Guide to the Fifty State Summits
Highpoint Adventures: The Complete Guide to the 50 State Highpoints

Author/Contributor: Greg Parsons

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STATE HIGHPOINT TOWN / PARK ELEV-
ATION
QUALITY
OF VIEWS
CLASS
(of the
easiest route)
ACCESS GUIDE
BOOK
Alabama Cheaha Mountain Cheaha
State Park
2,405 feet great Class I
terrain
drive up (year-round) book
Alaska Denali Denali
National Park
20,310 feet outstanding Class IV
terrain
mountaineering (extremely difficult) book
Arizona Humphreys Peak Coconino
National Forest
12,633 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
most commonly done as a hike (difficult)
but can also be backpacked
book
Arkansas Magazine Mountain Ozark
National Forest
2,753 feet great Class I
terrain
short hike (easy) book
California Mount Whitney Inyo
National Forest
14,495 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
long day hike or backpack (difficult);
permits are required for either option
book
Colorado Mount Elbert San Isabel
National Forest
14,433 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
hike (very difficult); start early to avoid
common summer thunderstorms
book
Connecticut Mount Frissell
-South Slope
privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
2,380 feet good
(nearby views)
Class I
terrain
hike (moderate) book
Delaware Ebright Azimuth owned by the town of
Azimuth
448 feet none Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
Florida Britton Hill owned by the town of
Lakewood
345 feet poor Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
Georgia Brasstown Bald Chattahoochee
National Forest
4,784 feet great Class I
terrain
short walk (easy) book
Hawaii Mauna Kea Mauna Kea
Forest Reserve
13,796 feet excellent Class I
terrain
short hike (easy) book
Idaho Borah Peak Challis
National Forest
12,662 feet outstanding Class IV
terrain
hike/rock scramble (extremely difficult) book
Illinois Charles Mound privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
1,235 feet none Class I
terrain
short hike (easy) book
Indiana Hoosier Hill privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
1,257 feet none Class I
terrain
short walk (easy) book
Iowa Hawkeye Point privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
1,670 feet poor Class I
terrain
short walk (easy) book
Kansas Mount Sunflower privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
4,039 feet poor Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
Kentucky Black Mountain privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
4,139 feet none Class I
terrain
drive-up (in season) book
Louisiana Driskill Mountain privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
535 feet none Class I
terrain
short hike (easy) book
Maine Katahdin Baxter
State Park
5,268 feet outstanding Class II/II+
terrain
most commonly done as a hike (very
difficult)
but can also be backpacked
book
Maryland Backbone Mountain privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
3,360 feet fair Class I
terrain
hike (moderate) book
Massachusetts Mount Greylock Mount Greylock
State Reservation
3,487 feet very good Class I
terrain
most commonly done as a drive-up (in
season)
but can be hiked or backpacked
book
Michigan Mount Arvon privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
1,979 feet none Class I
terrain
short hike (easy) book
Minnesota Eagle Mountain Superior
National Forest
2,301 feet none Class I
terrain
hike (moderate) book
Mississippi Woodall Mountain privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
806 feet none Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
Missouri Taum Sauk
Mountain
Taum Sauk Mountain
State Park
1,772 feet none Class I
terrain
short walk (easy) or you can hike (difficult) book
Montana Granite Peak Custer & Gallatan
National Forests
12,799 feet outstanding Class IV
terrain
hike/rock scramble (extremely difficult) book
Nebraska Panorama Point privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
5,426 feet poor Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
Nevada Boundary Peak Inyo
National Forest
13,140 feet outstanding Class II
terrain
hike (difficult) book
New Hampshire Mount Washington Mount Washington
State Park
6,288 feet outstanding Class I/II
terrain
drive-up + a short walk (in season) or you
can hike or backpack (very difficult)
book
New Jersey High Point High Point
State Park
1,803 feet very good Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
New Mexico Wheeler Peak Carson
National Forest
13,161 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
most commonly done as a hike (difficult)
but can also be backpacked
book
New York Mount Marcy Adirondack
Forest Preserve
5,344 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
most commonly done as a hike (very
difficult)
but can also be backpacked
book
North Carolina Mount Mitchell Pisgah National Forest 6,684 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
drive-up + a short walk (in season) or you
can hike or backpack (very difficult)
book
North Dakota White Butte privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
3,506 feet great Class I
terrain
hike (easy) book
Ohio Campbell Hill privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
1,549 feet none Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
Oklahoma Black Mesa Black Mesa
Nature Preserve
4,973 feet fair Class I
terrain
hike (moderate) book
Oregon Mount Hood Mount Hood
National Forest
11,239 feet outstanding Class IV
terrain
mountaineering (extremely difficult) book
Pennsylvania Mount Davis Forbes
State Forest
3,213 feet none Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
Rhode Island Jerimoth Hill privately owned
(but the public is welcome)
812 feet none Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
South Carolina Sassafras Mountain conservation land
owned by state of SC
3,554 feet none Class I
terrain
drive-up (year-round) book
South Dakota Black Elk Peak Black Hills
National Forest
7,242 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
hike (moderate) book
Tennessee Clingmans Dome Great Smoky Mountains
National Park
6,643 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
short uphill walk on paved trail (moderate) book
Texas Guadalupe Peak Guadalupe Mountains
National Park
8,749 feet outstanding Class I
terrain
day hike (very difficult) book
Utah Kings Peak Ashely & Wasatch
National Forests
13,528 feet outstanding Class II
terrain
backpacking (very difficult) book
Vermont Mount Mansfield Mount Mansfield
State Forest
4,393 feet outstanding Class I/II
terrain
drive-up+short hike (moderate) or you can
hike/backpack (difficult)
book
Virginia Mount Rogers Jefferson
National Forest
5,729 feet great Class I
terrain
hike (difficult) book
Washington Mount Rainier Mount Rainier
National Park
14,410 feet outstanding Class IV
terrain
mountaineering (extremely difficult) book
West Virginia Spruce Knob Monongahela
National Forest
4,861 feet great Class I
terrain
drive-up (in season) or hike (very difficult) book
Wisconsin Timms Hill Timm's Hill
County Park
1,951 feet great Class I
terrain
short walk (easy) book
Wyoming Gannett Peak Bridger National Forest &
Shoshone National Forest
13,804 feet outstanding Class IV
terrain
mountaineering (extremely difficult) book

U.S. STATE HIGHPOINTS MAP

U.S. State Highpoints Map

HELPFUL HIGHPOINTING WEB LINKS

Official site of the Highpointers: > link
Technical information on all U.S. state highpoints: > link
Detailed trip reports on most U.S. state highpoints: > link
Highpoints of the United States: A Guide to the Fifty State Summits: > link
Highpoint Adventures: The Complete Guide to the 50 State Highpoints: > link

IDEAS FOR HIKING THE HIGHPOINTS

Do all the highpoints based on when each state became part of the United States.
Do all the highpoints in alphabetical order based on state name.
Do all the highpoints based on elevation (lowest to highest probably makes the most sense).

obelisk atop Guadalupe Peak, Texas
obelisk atop Guadalupe Peak, Texas

view from Mount Sunflower, Kansas
view from Mount Sunflower, Kansas
(picture courtesy of Patricia Herr)

views on the way up Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
views on the way up Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

monument at the top of High Point State Park, New Jersey
monument at the top of High Point State Park, New Jersey

views from the summit of Borah Peak, Idaho
views from the summit of Borah Peak, Idaho
(picture courtesy of Patricia Herr)

views from the summit of Mt. Whitney, California
views from the summit of Mt. Whitney, California

view from the lookout tower atop Clingmans Dome, Tennessee
view from the lookout tower atop Clingmans Dome, Tennessee

observatory atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii
observatory atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii
(picture courtesy of Patricia Herr)

stone tower atop Black Elk Peak, South Dakota
stone tower atop Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak), South Dakota

view of Mount Rainier from the Skyline Loop, Washington
view of Mount Rainier from the Skyline Loop, Washington

Boundary Peak, Nevada
Boundary Peak, Nevada
(picture courtesy of Patricia Herr)

Knife Edge Trail en route to Katahdin, Maine
Knife Edge Trail en route to Katahdin, Maine


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