Rocky Mountains Location: Western North America, Canada to New Mexico

The Rocky Mountains form a 4,800 km (3,000 mi) cordillera along western North America:

• Northern terminus: Liard River, northern British Columbia, Canada.
• Southern terminus: Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA.
• Width: 100–600 km; multiple subranges.
• Highest peak: Mount Elbert, Colorado (4,401 m / 14,440 ft).

On a map, they appear as a jagged north-south spine separating the Great Plains (east) from the Intermountain West (west). Major subranges: Canadian Rockies, Northern Rockies (ID/MT), Middle Rockies (WY/UT), Southern Rockies (CO/NM).

The Continental Divide follows the Rockies' crest—waters flow either to Pacific, Atlantic (via Gulf of Mexico), or Arctic (via Mackenzie).