Climbing the highest peaks of all 50 states?

I know it's not achieving the 7 summits or anything glamorous like that but it's become a new passion of mine. Anyone ever done this? Which state was the most difficult? I'll be climbing Rainier soon. Here's a cool link that I found to help me figure out which peaks to climb.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_…

Wow, that sounds like lots of driving. How about the second highest in each state? St. Elias, the Grand, etc.

Check out listsofjohn.com/. Came across the link from Dougal McDonald's (sp?) Colorado Mountain Journal.

Denali followed by Gannett in Wyoming.

If you come to Iowa, you will get a test of your map and compass skills, our highest point is actually in a corn field on the Sterler Farm. That'd be a cool photo on your wall next to rainier "and here I am at 1670ft above sea level" standing in a row of corn.

Some people call this highpointing. Pretty sure there is a book out on this with specific locales, driving instructions, etc. The high points in flat states can be obscure. I hear that the high point in KS is a sunflower field - better bring full alpine gear. :)

It is called high-pointing. One of my peak bagging friends does it as a side hobby. There are high point lists by state, county, etc. I think the one in one of the Atlantic states like Delaware is in someone's backyard. The high-pointers are nearly as picky as how you get to the high point as say ADK 46ers or NH 48ers.

Jim Davidson wrote:I hear that the high point in KS is a sunflower field - better bring full alpine gear. :)

Actually, Mt Sunflower in Kansas is a pretty serious climb, especially the north face.

bettingers.org/air/ks000.htm

I've been working on this for some time now. I have 12 states I think.

A lot of people don't "get" why visiting each state is a fun thing to do. It's more about exploration and seeing parts of the country you would otherwise ignore. One of my favorite state high points is IA actually, the drive in and out is quite fun.

As for difficulty, the most difficult to find has been CT for me, the most demanding physically so far is probably NY. CO is not much more than a walk up with some altitude and weather considerations.

I am looking forward to WY, CA, and OR. AK will be one of the last, and HI will be a fun vacation...

Anyway, feel free to hit me up, I can give you more information if you like.

cheers.
-chris

Here's the book: Highpoint Adventures.

The highest point in each state is something I'd love to do, too. I haven't gone out of my way to do them, though. So far I've only done California, Washington, and Utah. This summer I'd like to do the rest of the western states: Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico.

I like the idea of doing the second tallest in each state. Hmmm... intriguing...

Some states are definitely no worth it, IMO. Take Florida as an example. The highest point was a landfill; it's now a rest area on some highway. :)

--Marc

percious wrote:I've been working on this for some time now. I have 12 states I think. A lot of people don't "get" why visiting each state is a fun thing to do. It's more about exploration and seeing parts of the country you would otherwise ignore. One of my favorite state high points is IA actually, the drive in and out is quite fun. As for difficulty, the most difficult to find has been CT for me, the most demanding physically so far is probably NY. CO is not much more than a walk up with some altitude and weather considerations. I am looking forward to WY, CA, and OR. AK will be one of the last, and HI will be a fun vacation... Anyway, feel free to hit me up, I can give you more information if you like. cheers. -chris

Why did you find NY so demanding? Its only 14 miles RT with ~3500 gain and you top out at just over a mile in elevation. There are much worse things in the Adirondacks than Marcy if you are ticking lists.

I have 7 so far, going for ND in the next month or so!

I've done 39 out of 50. I believe Wyoming (Gannet) and Alaska (Denali) are almost tied for the most challenging. AK is most likely the most expensive. We spent 5 days in the Winds and still did not summit for weather issues and not going via the cattle trail.

Don't be surprised when you find out how some can be very difficult for private property access issue. IE: Mount Frissel in Conn. you are only allowed certain days of the year. N.D. was sort of a pain, Charles Mound in Illinois is very much private land where you drive up the driveways. Just remember don't ruin if for everyone after you...

Yea, it can be a lot of driving, but I've sen a lot of thing all over the country I never would have seen otherwise. Especially the Deep South!!

Enjoy!

Well I never bash someone for setting goals and going for them. The only info I can help with is on Whitney in CA and Elbert in CO. I climbed Whitney a few years back and you should look into permits as soon as possible. I have the first edition of this book amazon.com/Mount-Whitney-Co… if you’re looking for hiking info. But the best way to climb Whitney is the East face 5.7 13 pitches, check out this book if that interest you supertopo.com/packs/highsie…. Elbert is just a hike for the most part. There are several trails to the top and no permits are required. I got turned back with the summit in sight (and the steepest part of the hike behind us) due to really bad weather that was impossible to see until we topped out on the ridge (very common in the Rockies). If you need a partner for Elbert hit me up, I’d love to take another crack at it. Not knowing what your mountaineering experience is I’ll say make sure to give yourself extra days for the high points that are real mountains, I’ve been turned back because of local thunderstorms several times and even spent 4 days stuck in my tent at 13,000ft waiting for the weather to clear so I could climb North Palisade and other nearby mountains.

If you come to CT and need/want a partner to get to the high points of CT, MA, VT, NH, RI im down. I tried a winter ascent of Mount Washington as my first ever mountain climb and got seriously shut down. Let me know if you come to the North east and are interested.

Good luck. Denali #1. Someone wrote an article about doing this in 1 year in the last decade or so.

A friend wrote a guidebook, not sure if it is in print.

amazon.com/Highpoint-Advent…

Wally

I'm climbing Harney Peak, SD in exactly 7 days. It's a baby of a mountain, but the biggest mountain in this area to climb. Rainier isn't too far off for me, then Denali?

If you are up for it, you can make Harney a pretty good mountaineering challenge. Start from the Palmer Creek Road that goes between Rushmore and Sylvan Lake. You'll see the obvious frozen waterfall from the road. Bushwhack up to it, climb a good pitch of WI3, and then wander up snow, ice, and 5th class rock for a long way to the top. It is a full value day that way, though a vehicle shuttle is a good idea so you can take the trail back to Sylvan Lake.

So you're saying to go a route that would require ice tools and also crampons? Just so I know if I should take the ice climbing tools or not...let me know your thoughts.