In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet (4,267.2 m) above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world.[1] The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America. Climbing all of Colorado's fourteeners is a popular pastime among peak baggers; another popular target is climbing all of the fourteeners in the contiguous United States. Various ski mountaineers have completed ski descents of all the Colorado fourteeners, and the first attempts are being made to complete ski descents of all U.S. fourteeners.
Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface. Topographic prominence is the elevation difference between the summit and the highest or key col to a higher summit. Topographic isolation is the minimum great circle distance to a point of higher elevation.
All elevations in the 48 states of the contiguous United States include an elevation adjustment from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).[2] If a summit elevation or prominence has a range of values, the arithmetic mean is cited.
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Not all summits over 14,000 feet qualify as fourteeners.[3] Summits which qualify are those considered by mountaineers to be independent. Objective standards for independence include topographic prominence and isolation (distance from a higher summit), or a combination of the two. However, fourteener lists do not always consistently use such objective rules.
A rule commonly used by mountaineers in the contiguous United States is that a peak must have at least 300 feet (91 m) of prominence to qualify. By this rule, Colorado has fifty-three (or 54 depending on criteria) fourteeners, California has eleven (twelve using mean prominence), and Washington has two. However, the subsidiary summit of Liberty Cap in Washington (one of the summits of Mount Rainier), at 14,112 feet (4,301 m) and 492 feet (150 m) of prominence, is often not counted as a fourteener despite meeting the prominence criteria.
According to the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, it is standard in Alaska to use a 500-foot (150 m) prominence rule rather than a 300-foot (91 m) rule. By this rule, Alaska has at least 21 peaks over 14,000 feet (4,267 m) and its 12 highest peaks exceed 15,000 feet (4,572 m).
For comparison, Canada has 15 fourteeners, and Mexico has 8; however, the importance of the arbitrary 14,000-foot mark is minimal outside of the U.S. (due in large part to the otherwise universal usage of the metric system). In Europe, it is very common to attempt to climb all of the independent 4,000-metre (13,123 ft) peaks in the Alps; that pastime roughly corresponds to fourteener-bagging in the U.S., although some of the European peaks are more technical climbs in general.
Rank | Mountain Peak | State | Mountain Range | Elevation | Prominence | Isolation | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount McKinley[4][5] (Denali) |
Alaska | Alaska Range | 6194 m |
20,320 ft6149 m |
20,174 ft7,450 km |
4,629 mi|
2 | Mount McKinley North Peak[6][7] | Alaska | Alaska Range | 5934 m |
19,470 ft402 m |
1,320 ft2.8 km |
1.7 mi|
3 | Mount Saint Elias[8][9] | Alaska Yukon |
Saint Elias Mountains | 5489 m |
18,008 ft3429 m |
11,250 ft41 km |
26 mi|
4 | Mount Foraker[10][11][12] | Alaska | Alaska Range | 5304 m |
17,400 ft2210 m |
7,250 ft23 km |
14 mi|
5 | Mount Bona[13][14] | Alaska | Saint Elias Mountains | 5044 m |
16,550 ft2103 m |
6,900 ft80 km |
50 mi|
6 | Mount Blackburn[15][16] | Alaska | Wrangell Mountains | 4996 m |
16,390 ft3548 m |
11,640 ft98 km |
61 mi|
7 | Mount Blackburn Southeast Peak[17] | Alaska | Wrangell Mountains | 4964 m |
16,286 ft163 m |
536 ft2.5 km |
1.5 mi|
8 | Mount Sanford[18] | Alaska | Wrangell Mountains | 4949 m |
16,237 ft2343 m |
7,687 ft65 km |
40 mi|
9 | Mount McKinley South Buttress[19] | Alaska | Alaska Range | 4842 m |
15,885 ft96 m |
315 ft4.1 km |
2.5 mi|
10 | Mount Vancouver South Peak[20][21] | Alaska Yukon |
Saint Elias Mountains | 4780 m |
15,682 ft120 m |
394 ft2.6 km |
1.6 mi|
11 | Mount Churchill[22] | Alaska | Saint Elias Mountains | 4766 m |
15,638 ft347 m |
1,138 ft4.2 km |
2.6 mi|
12 | Mount Fairweather[23][24] (Fairweather Mountain) |
Alaska British Columbia |
Saint Elias Mountains | 4671 m |
15,325 ft3961 m |
12,995 ft201 km |
125 mi|
13 | Mount Hubbard[25] | Alaska Yukon |
Saint Elias Mountains | 4557 m |
14,950 ft2457 m |
8,061 ft34 km |
21 mi|
14 | Mount Bear[26] | Alaska | Saint Elias Mountains | 4520 m |
14,831 ft1540 m |
5,052 ft32 km |
20 mi|
15 | Mount McKinley East Buttress[27] | Alaska | Alaska Range | 4490 m |
14,730 ft116 m |
380 ft2.4 km |
1.5 mi|
16 | Mount Hunter[28][29] | Alaska | Alaska Range | 4442 m |
14,573 ft1417 m |
4,648 ft11 km |
7 mi|
17 | Mount Whitney[30][31][32][33] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4421 m |
14,505 ft3072 m |
10,079 ft2,649 km |
1,646 mi|
18 | Mount Alverstone[34] | Alaska Yukon |
Saint Elias Mountains | 4420 m |
14,500 ft594 m |
1,950 ft3.6 km |
2.2 mi|
19 | University Peak[35] | Alaska | Saint Elias Mountains | 4410 m |
14,470 ft978 m |
3,210 ft6.0 km |
3.7 mi|
20 | Aello Peak[36] | Alaska | Saint Elias Mountains | 4403 m |
14,445 ft440 m |
1,445 ft6.3 km |
3.9 mi|
21 | Mount Elbert[37][38][39][40] | Colorado | Sawatch Range | 4401 m |
14,440 ft2772 m |
9,093 ft1,079 km |
671 mi|
22 | Mount Massive[41][42][43] | Colorado | Sawatch Range | 4398 m |
14,428 ft598 m |
1,962 ft8.2 km |
5.1 mi|
23 | Mount Harvard[44][45][46][47] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4397 m |
14,427 ft709 m |
2,327 ft24 km |
15 mi|
24 | Mount Rainier[48][49][50][51] | Washington | Cascade Range | 4394 m |
14,417 ft4034 m |
13,236 ft1,177 km |
731 mi|
25 | Mount Williamson[52][53] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4386 m |
14,389 ft511 m |
1,677 ft8.7 km |
5.4 mi|
26 | La Plata Peak[54][55] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4379 m |
14,368 ft567 m |
1,861 ft10 km |
6 mi|
27 | Blanca Peak[56][57][58] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4374 m |
14,351 ft1623 m |
5,326 ft166 km |
103 mi|
28 | Uncompahgre Peak[59][60][61] | Colorado | San Juan Mountains | 4365 m |
14,321 ft1304 m |
4,277 ft137 km |
85 mi|
29 | Crestone Peak[62][63] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4359 m |
14,300 ft1388 m |
4,554 ft44 km |
27 mi|
30 | Mount Lincoln[64][65][66] | Colorado | Mosquito Range | 4357 m |
14,293 ft1177 m |
3,862 ft36 km |
23 mi|
31 | Castle Peak[67][68][69] | Colorado | Elk Mountains | 4352 m |
14,279 ft721 m |
2,365 ft34 km |
21 mi|
32 | Grays Peak[70][71][72][73] | Colorado | Front Range | 4352 m |
14,278 ft844 m |
2,769 ft40 km |
25 mi|
33 | Mount Antero[74][75][76] | Colorado | Sawatch Range | 4351 m |
14,276 ft763 m |
2,503 ft29 km |
18 mi|
34 | Torreys Peak[77][78][79] | Colorado | Front Range | 4351 m |
14,275 ft171 m |
561 ft1.1 km |
0.7 mi|
35 | Quandary Peak[80][81][82] | Colorado | Tenmile Range | 4350 m |
14,271 ft343 m |
1,125 ft5.1 km |
3.2 mi|
36 | Mount Evans[83][84][85] | Colorado | Front Range | 4348 m |
14,265 ft844 m |
2,769 ft16 km |
10 mi|
37 | Longs Peak[86][87][88] | Colorado | Front Range | 4346 m |
14,259 ft896 m |
2,940 ft70 km |
44 mi|
38 | Mount Wilson[89][90] | Colorado | San Miguel Mountains | 4344 m |
14,252 ft1227 m |
4,024 ft53 km |
33 mi|
39 | White Mountain Peak[91][92][93] | California | White Mountains | 4344 m |
14,252 ft2193 m |
7,196 ft109 km |
67 mi|
40 | North Palisade[94][95][96] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4343 m |
14,248 ft882 m |
2,894 ft52 km |
32 mi|
41 | Mount Shavano[97][98][99] | Colorado | Sawatch Range | 4338 m |
14,231 ft494 m |
1,619 ft6.1 km |
3.8 mi|
42 | Mount Princeton[100][101][102] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4329 m |
14,204 ft664 m |
2,177 ft8.4 km |
5.2 mi|
43 | Mount Belford[103][104][105] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4329 m |
14,203 ft408 m |
1,337 ft5.3 km |
3.3 mi|
44 | Crestone Needle[106][107] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4329 m |
14,203 ft139 m |
457 ft0.7 km |
0.4 mi|
45 | Mount Yale[108][109][110][111] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4329 m |
14,202 ft578 m |
1,896 ft8.9 km |
5.5 mi|
46 | Mount Shasta[112][113][114] | California | Cascade Range | 4322 m |
14,179 ft2997 m |
9,832 ft539 km |
335 mi|
47 | Mount Bross[115][116][117] | Colorado | Mosquito Range | 4322 m |
14,178 ft95 m |
312 ft1.6 km |
1.0 mi|
48 | Kit Carson Mountain[118][119] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4319 m |
14,171 ft312 m |
1,025 ft2.1 km |
1.3 mi|
49 | Maroon Peak[120][121][122] | Colorado | Elk Mountains | 4317 m |
14,163 ft712 m |
2,336 ft13 km |
8 mi|
50 | Mount Wrangell[123] | Alaska | Wrangell Mountains | 4317 m |
14,163 ft1711 m |
5,613 ft24 km |
15 mi|
51 | Tabeguache Peak[124][125][126] | Colorado | Sawatch Range | 4317 m |
14,162 ft139 m |
455 ft1.2 km |
0.8 mi|
52 | Mount Oxford (Colorado)[127][128][129] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4316 m |
14,160 ft199 m |
653 ft2.0 km |
1.2 mi|
53 | Mount Sill[130][131] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4316 m |
14,159 ft114 m |
373 ft1.0 km |
0.6 mi|
54 | Mount Sneffels[132][133][134] | Colorado | Sneffels Range | 4315 m |
14,158 ft930 m |
3,050 ft25 km |
16 mi|
55 | Mount Democrat[135][136][137] | Colorado | Mosquito Range | 4315 m |
14,155 ft234 m |
768 ft2.0 km |
1.3 mi|
56 | Capitol Peak[138][139][140] | Colorado | Elk Mountains | 4309 m |
14,137 ft533 m |
1,750 ft12 km |
7 mi|
57 | Pikes Peak[141][142][143] | Colorado | Pikes Peak Massif | 4302 m |
14,115 ft1686 m |
5,530 ft98 km |
61 mi|
58 | Snowmass Mountain[144][145][146] | Colorado | Elk Mountains (Colorado) | 4297 m |
14,099 ft351 m |
1,152 ft3.8 km |
2.3 mi|
59 | Mount Russell[147][148] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4296 m |
14,094 ft344 m |
1,129 ft1.2 km |
0.7 mi|
60 | Windom Peak[149][150] | Colorado | Needle Mountains | 4296 m |
14,093 ft307 m |
1,007 ft43 km |
27 mi|
61 | Mount Eolus[151][152] | Colorado | Needle Mountains | 4294 m |
14,089 ft666 m |
2,184 ft2.7 km |
1.7 mi|
62 | Challenger Point[153][154] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4294 m |
14,087 ft92 m |
301 ft0.4 km |
0.2 mi|
63 | Mount Columbia[155][156][157] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4291 m |
14,077 ft272 m |
893 ft3.1 km |
1.9 mi|
64 | Missouri Mountain[158][159][160] | Colorado | Collegiate Peaks | 4290 m |
14,074 ft258 m |
847 ft2.1 km |
1.3 mi|
65 | Mount Augusta[161] | Alaska Yukon |
Saint Elias Mountains | 4289 m |
14,070 ft1549 m |
5,082 ft23 km |
14 mi|
66 | Humboldt Peak[162][163] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4288 m |
14,070 ft367 m |
1,204 ft2.3 km |
1.4 mi|
67 | Mount Bierstadt[164][165][166] | Colorado | Front Range | 4287 m |
14,065 ft219 m |
719 ft2.2 km |
1.4 mi|
68 | Sunlight Peak[167][168] | Colorado | Needle Mountains | 4287 m |
14,065 ft122 m |
399 ft0.8 km |
0.5 mi|
69 | Split Mountain (California)[169][170][171] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4287 m |
14,064 ft475 m |
1,558 ft11 km |
7 mi|
70 | Handies Peak[172][173][174] | Colorado | San Juan Mountains | 4285 m |
14,058 ft582 m |
1,908 ft18 km |
11 mi|
71 | Culebra Peak[175][176] | Colorado | Culebra Range | 4283 m |
14,053 ft1471 m |
4,827 ft57 km |
35 mi|
72 | Ellingwood Point[177][178] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4282 m |
14,048 ft104 m |
342 ft0.8 km |
0.5 mi|
73 | Mount Lindsey[179][180] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4282 m |
14,048 ft470 m |
1,542 ft3.6 km |
2.3 mi|
74 | Little Bear Peak[181][182] | Colorado | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4280 m |
14,043 ft115 m |
377 ft1.6 km |
1.0 mi|
75 | Mount Sherman[183][184] | Colorado | Mosquito Range | 4280 m |
14,043 ft259 m |
850 ft13 km |
8 mi|
76 | Redcloud Peak[185][186] | Colorado | San Juan Mountains | 4280 m |
14,041 ft438 m |
1,436 ft7.9 km |
4.9 mi|
77 | Mount Langley[187][188][189] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4277 m |
14,032 ft365 m |
1,198 ft7.1 km |
4.4 mi|
78 | Mount Tyndall[190][191] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4275 m |
14,025 ft343 m |
1,125 ft2.3 km |
1.4 mi|
79 | Pyramid Peak (Colorado)[192][193][194] | Colorado | Elk Mountains (Colorado) | 4275 m |
14,025 ft499 m |
1,638 ft3.4 km |
2.1 mi|
80 | Wilson Peak[195][196] | Colorado | San Miguel Mountains | 4274 m |
14,023 ft261 m |
857 ft2.4 km |
1.5 mi|
81 | San Luis Peak[197][198][199] | Colorado | La Garita Mountains | 4274 m |
14,022 ft949 m |
3,113 ft43 km |
27 mi|
82 | Wetterhorn Peak[200][201] | Colorado | San Juan Mountains | 4274 m |
14,021 ft498 m |
1,635 ft4.5 km |
2.8 mi|
83 | Mount Muir[202][203][204] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4273 m |
14,018 ft101 m |
331 ft0.8 km |
0.5 mi|
84 | Middle Palisade[205][206] | California | Sierra Nevada | 4273 m |
14,018 ft341 m |
1,119 ft4.2 km |
2.6 mi|
85 | Mount Wrangell West Peak[207] | Alaska | Wrangell Mountains | 4271 m |
14,013 ft172 m |
563 ft2.4 km |
1.5 mi|
86 | Huron Peak[208][209][210][211] | Colorado | Sawatch Range | 4271 m |
14,012 ft434 m |
1,423 ft5.2 km |
3.2 mi|
87 | Mount of the Holy Cross[212][213][214] | Colorado | Sawatch Range | 4271 m |
14,011 ft643 m |
2,111 ft30 km |
19 mi|
88 | Sunshine Peak[215][216] | Colorado | San Juan Mountains | 4269 m |
14,007 ft153 m |
501 ft2.1 km |
1.3 mi
The table above uses a topographic prominence criterion of 300 feet. If a criterion of 100 meters of prominence is used instead, the table above shrinks to 85 summits. If a criterion of either 150 meters or 500 feet of prominence is used, the table above shrinks to 76 summits.
The following U.S. summits have 14,000 feet of elevation, but have less than 300 feet of topographic prominence: