Nov 20 2023
Tungurahua Rising steeply above the lush valleys of central Ecuador, Tungurahua is one of the country’s most recognizable volcanoes. Its symmetrical cone towers more than three vertical kilometers above the valleys around Baños de Agua Santa, creating a dramatic transition from subtropical vegetation and cloud forest to páramo, barren volcanic slopes, and the summit crater. …
Nov 20 2023
Aoraki / Mount Cook Aoraki / Mount Cook rises above the glaciers of New Zealand’s South Island as the highest mountain in the country and the defining summit of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. Surrounded by immense icefields, knife-edged ridges, unstable rock faces, and some of New Zealand’s largest glaciers, the …
Nov 16 2023
Grandfather Mountain Rising dramatically above the high country of northwestern North Carolina, Grandfather Mountain is one of the most distinctive peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the broader Appalachian Mountains. Its rocky summits, spruce-fir forests, exposed ridges, severe weather, rare wildlife, and famous Mile High Swinging Bridge have made it one of the best-known …
Nov 15 2023
Mount Assiniboine Rising in a near-perfect pyramid above the lakes, glaciers, and alpine meadows of the southern Canadian Rockies, Mount Assiniboine is one of Canada’s most recognizable mountains. Its steep triangular profile has earned it the enduring nickname “Matterhorn of the Rockies,” and from classic viewpoints around Lake Magog, the resemblance is easy to understand. …
Nov 14 2023
Mount Massive Stretching across a huge section of Colorado’s Sawatch Range, Mount Massive lives up to its name. Rather than rising as a single sharp pyramid, the mountain spreads across a long summit crest containing multiple points above 14,000 feet, broad alpine slopes, glacial basins, and an enormous expanse of high-country terrain. For generations, Mount …
Nov 14 2023
Vinicunca (Montaña de Siete Colores, Montaña de Colores, Rainbow Mountain) Striped in bands of red, rose, gold, green, white, and earthy brown, Vinicunca is one of the most visually unusual landscapes in the Andes. Better known internationally as Rainbow Mountain or the Mountain of Seven Colors, this high ridge in Peru’s Cusco Region has transformed …
Nov 14 2023
Cascade Mountain (Stoney Chief) Towering directly above the town of Banff, Cascade Mountain is one of the most recognizable peaks in the Canadian Rockies. Its broad triangular face dominates the view northeast along Banff Avenue, where the street seems almost deliberately aligned with the mountain. Cascade Mountain reaches 2,998 meters (9,836 feet) and forms the …
Nov 14 2023
Mount Harvard Rising deep within Colorado’s Sawatch Range, Mount Harvard is one of the great high summits of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain towers above Horn Fork Basin and the surrounding Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, combining broad alpine slopes, rugged granite ridges, glacial basins, forests, tundra, and one of Colorado’s most famous fourteener hiking routes. Mount …
Nov 10 2023
Hallett Peak Rising above Dream Lake like an enormous wall of ancient rock, Hallett Peak is one of the most recognizable mountains in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Its steep eastern face forms the dramatic backdrop behind Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake, creating one of the signature landscapes of the Front …
Nov 10 2023
Mount LeConte (Tennessee) Rising more than a vertical mile above Gatlinburg, Mount LeConte is one of the most imposing and beloved mountains in the Great Smoky Mountains and the broader Appalachian Mountains. Its forested massif contains several high points, dramatic cliffs, waterfalls, rocky bluffs, old-growth forest, high-elevation spruce-fir habitat, and one of the most unusual …
