Five Major U.S. Mountain Ranges

The United States contains numerous significant mountain ranges. Here are five of the most prominent, spanning the continent:

1. Appalachian Mountains

• Location: Eastern North America (AL to NL, Canada)
• Length: ~1,500 miles (2,400 km)
• Highest Peak: Mount Mitchell, NC – 6,684 ft (2,037 m)
• Notable Peaks: Clingmans Dome (TN/NC), Mount Washington (NH), Mount Katahdin (ME)
• Age: ~480 million years (ancient, eroded)
• Character: Rounded, forested ridges; coal, biodiversity, Appalachian Trail

2. Rocky Mountains

• Location: Western North America (NM to BC/AK, Canada)
• Length: ~3,000 miles (4,800 km)
• Highest Peak: Mount Elbert, CO – 14,433 ft (4,399 m)
• Notable Peaks: Longs Peak, Pikes Peak, Mount Rainier (WA, but Cascades), Grand Teton (WY)
• Age: ~80–55 million years (Laramide orogeny)
• Character: Rugged, high, alpine; Continental Divide; major national parks

3. Sierra Nevada

• Location: Eastern California (small NV portion)
• Length: ~400 miles (640 km)
• Highest Peak: Mount Whitney – 14,505 ft (4,421 m) — highest in contiguous US
• Notable Peaks: Half Dome, El Capitan, Mount Shasta (Cascades, but often grouped), Mount Williamson
• Age: ~100 million years (batholith uplift)
• Character: Granite walls, glacial valleys (Yosemite), rain shadow desert east

4. Cascade Range

• Location: Western North America (N. CA through OR, WA to BC)
• Length: ~700 miles (1,100 km)
• Highest Peak: Mount Rainier, WA – 14,411 ft (4,392 m)
• Notable Peaks: Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Crater Lake (caldera)
• Character: Volcanic arc (Ring of Fire); glaciers, temperate rainforest west, dry east

5. Alaska Range

• Location: Southcentral Alaska
• Length: ~400 miles (650 km)
• Highest Peak: Denali (fka Mount McKinley) – 20,310 ft (6,190 m) — highest in North America
• Notable Peaks: Mount Foraker, Mount Hunter, Mount Hayes
• Character: Extreme glaciation, subarctic, Denali National Park

Note: The original source listed "Atlas Range" for Alaska—this is incorrect. The Atlas Mountains are in Morocco. The correct range is the Alaska Range (Denali's range). Other major US ranges not listed: Wasatch, Uinta, Bitterroot, White Mountains, Olympic, Brooks Range, Sierra Madre, etc.