Mountain Ranges of the USA
The American landscape rises into dramatic mountain ranges, and this map helps you place each one. You fly across the country and learn where the great ranges run.
The Rocky Mountains form the long backbone of the west, stretching from Canada down through Colorado. Along the Pacific you will find the Sierra Nevada (home to Mount Whitney) and the volcanic Cascade Range with peaks like Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. In the east the older, gentler Appalachian Mountains run from the south up toward New England, while Alaska crowns them all with Denali, the highest peak in North America.
Soar over the ranges and learn how the USA is built — free, and genuinely fun, in Toponauts.
▶︎ Play nowFrequently asked questions
What is the highest mountain in the USA?
Denali in Alaska is the highest mountain in the United States and in all of North America, at about 6,190 metres (20,310 ft). Once called Mount McKinley, it towers over the Alaska Range and is known for extreme cold and very challenging climbs.
Where are the Rocky Mountains?
The Rocky Mountains run down the west of the United States, from the Canadian border south through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and into New Mexico. They form the continental divide, the ridge where rivers split toward either the Pacific or the Atlantic.
What mountains are in the eastern USA?
The Appalachian Mountains run along the eastern United States, from Alabama in the south up through the Carolinas into New England. They are far older and gentler than the Rockies and include well-known ranges like the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains.
What is the highest peak in the contiguous USA?
Mount Whitney in California's Sierra Nevada is the highest peak in the contiguous lower-48 states, at 4,421 metres. Remarkably, it stands only about 130 km from Death Valley, the lowest and hottest place in North America.