Category: Trails

Mount Foraker

Mount Foraker Rising as an immense white massif southwest of Denali, Mount Foraker is the second-highest major summit in the Alaska Range and one of the great glaciated mountains of North America. At 17,400 feet (5,303.5 meters), it towers above the Kahiltna Glacier and an extraordinary wilderness of icefalls, crevasses, sharp ridges, hanging glaciers, and …

Continue reading

Cheaha Mountain

Cheaha Mountain | Mount Cheaha Rising above the forested ridges of east-central Alabama, Cheaha Mountain is the highest natural point in the state and the dominant summit of the Talladega Mountains. Modern LiDAR places its summit at 2,407.8 feet (733.9 meters), making Cheaha modest by the standards of the Rockies or higher Appalachians but remarkably …

Continue reading

Sentinel Dome

Sentinel Dome Rising above the south rim of Yosemite Valley, Sentinel Dome is one of the most accessible panoramic summits in Yosemite National Park and one of the clearest examples of a classic exfoliation dome in the Sierra Nevada. Its smooth granodiorite slopes culminate at a broad, exposed summit with unobstructed views toward Half Dome, …

Continue reading

El Capitan: Yosemite’s Iconic Granite Monolith, Climbing History & Hiking Guide

El Capitan Few rock formations are as instantly recognizable—or as deeply intertwined with the history of climbing—as El Capitan. Rising more than 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley in California, this enormous granite wall forms one of the most dramatic landmarks in Yosemite National Park. From the meadows below, the cliff appears almost impossibly steep, its …

Continue reading

Changtse: Elevation, First Ascent, Everest Connection & Fast Facts

Changtse Immediately north of Mount Everest rises Changtse, one of the world’s highest 7,000-meter mountains and one of the most geographically fascinating peaks in the Everest massif. Its Tibetan name means “North Peak,” an appropriate description for a mountain connected directly to Everest through the famous North Col. Changtse reaches approximately 7,543 meters (24,747 feet) …

Continue reading

Muztagh Ata: Elevation, First Ascent, Glaciers & Fast Facts

Muztagh Ata (مۇز تاغ ئاتا, Музтаң Ата, 慕士塔格峰, Mùshìtǎgé Fēng) Rising above the high deserts and grasslands of western Xinjiang, Muztagh Ata is one of the great mountains of Central Asia. Its broad, gleaming dome towers over the Eastern Pamirs near Karakul Lake, creating one of the most recognizable mountain landscapes along China’s Karakoram Highway. …

Continue reading

Mount Tate (Tateyama): Elevation, Sacred History, Geology & Hiking Guide

Mount Tate (Mount Tateyama, 立山, Tate-yama) Rising to 3,015 meters (9,892 feet) in Japan’s Northern Alps, Mount Tate, better known as Tateyama, is one of the country’s most culturally important and visually spectacular mountains. Together with Mount Fuji and Mount Haku, Tateyama is traditionally counted among Japan’s Three Sacred Mountains. Tateyama is unusual because the …

Continue reading

Mount Kinabalu: Elevation, Climbing, Geology, Biodiversity & Fast Facts

Mount Kinabalu Rising dramatically above the tropical rainforests of northern Borneo, Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Malaysia, the highest point on the island of Borneo, and one of Southeast Asia’s most extraordinary natural landmarks. Its highest summit, Low’s Peak, reaches 4,095.2 meters (13,436 feet) above sea level. Kinabalu is remarkable not only because …

Continue reading

Toubkal: Elevation, First Ascent, Hiking, Geology & Fast Facts

Toubkal (Jbel Toubkal, Tubkal, توبقال‎ Tūbqāl, ⵜⵓⴱⵇⴰⵍ Tubkal) Rising to 4,167 meters (13,671 feet) in Morocco’s High Atlas, Toubkal, also known as Jebel Toubkal or Jbel Toubkal, is the highest mountain in Morocco, the highest summit in the entire Atlas Mountains, and the highest point in North Africa. Its significance goes far beyond elevation. Toubkal …

Continue reading

Store Skagastølstind: Elevation, First Ascent, Climbing Routes & Fast Facts

Store Skagastølstind | Storen Rising to approximately 2,405 meters (7,890 feet) in the wild western mountains of Jotunheimen, Store Skagastølstind—better known simply as Storen—is Norway’s third-highest mountain and one of the most important climbing summits in Scandinavian history. Unlike Galdhøpiggen and Glittertinden, Norway’s two higher mountains, Storen has no ordinary hiking route to the top. …

Continue reading