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This page is still a work in progress, but feel free to create pages for peaks named here that don't yet have a dedicated page.
Overview
Denali. Rainier. Grand Teton. For some parks, the mountain is the reason the park exists. The name is all you need to hear to conjure up images of a well-known peak, or maybe even from your own climbs. For other parks, the peak may be less well known, but no less enjoyable to climb. Tijeras Peak. Eagle Peak. Mount Cleveland. A summit of these peaks shows a dedication and passion for climbing the less accessible mountains. But Old Bluff Road? Loggerhead Key? Calusa Shell Mound? While perhaps not the loftiest of "summits," these locations in the southeast do complete the list of National Park Highpoints.
Highpointing is most often associated with state or county summits, but linking in with the U.S. National Parks is an idea that has recently caught on. Concentrated in the west, there are fewer drive-up peaks than you will find in the list of state highpoints, although the three parks in Florida certainly don't contribute much in terms of vertical. As of this writing I have been unable to find information on anyone who has summitted all 63 peaks. The fact that this would include the extremely inhospitable Mount St. Elias (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park) is a major reason. According to Redwic, Dave Covill became the first person to summit the highpoints of every National park in the continental US with his successful summit of Goode Mountain (North Cascades National Park) on August 12, 2013. Others will surely follow, and perhaps someday someone will "complete" this extremely varied and difficult list of summits.
This page is intended primarily to inform readers on the highpoints, especially those not nearly so well known. Many of the peaks (even some of those with appreciable vertical) have no current summitpost page, due to remoteness and lack of popularity. It is the goal of this page to promote sponsorship of these less-known peaks and assist those making the arduous task of summitting them all.
Alaska
There are eight National Parks in Alaska, and none of their highpoints could be considered easy. Denali might get top billing, but actually summitting that peak is FAR easier than Mount St. Elias to the southeast. Nearby Mount Fairweather sees only a handful of summit parties per year. What other peaks lack in altitude they make up for in remoteness. A fourth ascent of Mount Igikpak was made in 2004, and Redoubt Volcano is not yet known to have been summitted!| Denali National Park | Denali | 20,320' | 1 |
| Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | Mount Saint Elias | 18,008' | 2 |
| Glacier Bay National Park | Mount Fairweather | 15,300' | 3 |
| Lake Clark National Park | Redoubt Volcano | 10,197' | 17 |
| Gates of the Arctic National Park | Mount Igikpak | 8,276' | 29 |
| Katmai National Park | Knife Peak (on Mount Griggs) | 7,600' | 32 |
| Kenai Fjords National Park | "McCarty Peak" (59.8075, -150.1561) | 6,400' | 36 |
| Kobuk Valley National Park | Mount Angayukaqsraq | 4,760' | 41 |
Pacific Parks
Three National Parks are found far from the continent, with two in Hawaii and one in American Samoa. Lata Mountain is on the island of Ta'u, which is not the main island served by international airlines. This adds quite a bit of logistical difficulty to an otherwise easy summit. Haleakala in Hawaii has a full 10,000' of vertical trail to the top...or you can just drive to the summit. The enormous summit of Mauna Loa requires a full day trek by the shortest route, with other (very popular) multi-day routes available.
| Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | Mauna Loa | 13,679' | 9 |
| Haleakala National Park | Haleakala | 10,023' | 18 |
| National Park of American Samoa | Lata Mountain | 3,159' | 48 |
California
California boasts the most National Parks in any state at nine, and they are extremely varied. Whitney gets all the hype, and does offer a wide variety of ascent experiences, but other peaks like Lyell and Lassen deserve mention. And though diminished in altitude, the coastal parks peaks offer their own interest.
| Sequoia National Park | Mount Whitney | 14,494' | 4 |
| Kings Canyon National Park | North Palisade | 14,242' | 7 |
| Yosemite National Park | Mount Lyell | 13,114' | 10 |
| Death Valley National Park | Telescope Peak | 11,048' | 13 |
| Lassen Volcanic National Park | Lassen Peak | 10,457' | 16 |
| Joshua Tree National Park | Quail Mountain | 5,813' | 38 |
| Pinnacles National Park | North Chalone Peak | 3,304' | 45 |
| Redwood National Park | unnamed (41.1231, -123.8492) | 3,265' | 47 |
| Channel Island National Park | El Montañon | 1,808' | 50 |
Northwest
These parks are some of the old classic parks indeed, and their summits are (with the exception of Crater Lake) not easy climbs by any means! Rainier can be done in a LONG day by fit individuals, but elevation and glacier crossings usually extend the trip. Cleveland is so remote that a multi-day excursion is warranted, as is Goode. And despite not having the altitude of the others, Mount Olympus is far from the nearest road and requires crossing massive glaciers.
| Mount Rainier National Park | Mount Rainier | 14,410' | 5 |
| Glacier National Park | Mount Cleveland | 10,466' | 15 |
| North Cascades National Park | Goode Mountain | 9,200' | 19 |
| Crater Lake National Park | Mount Scott | 8,929' | 24 |
| Olympic National Park | Mount Olympus | 7,969' | 30 |
Southwest
The American Southwest is known primarily for its red rock vistas and sprawling deserts, not its peaks, but the high desert does get quite...high in places. Most of these peaks require only peristance to reach, but several are fairly remote and require advance access planning.
| Great Basin National Park | Wheeler Peak | 13,063' | 11 |
| Grand Canyon National Park | Lookout Tower | 9,165' | 20 |
| Bryce Canyon National Park | Rainbow Point | 9,115' | 21 |
| Capitol Reef National Park | (38.4390, -111.4174) | 8,960' | 23 |
| Guadalupe Mountains National Park | Guadalupe Peak | 8,749' | 25 |
| Zion National Park | Horse Ranch Mountain | 8,726' | 26 |
| Saguaro National Park | Mica Mountain | 8,664' | 27 |
| Big Bend National Park | Emory Peak | 7,825' | 31 |
| Canyonlands National Park | mesa rim (37.9802 -109.7235) | 7,160' | 33 |
| Carlsbad Caverns National Park | (32.1371, -104.6476) | 6,520' | 35 |
| Petrified Forest National Park | Pilot Rock | 6,234' | 37 |
| Arches National Park | Elephant Butte | 5,653' | 39 |
| White Sands National Park | Northeast 30 | 4,116' | 42 |
Rocky Mountains
Though there are several parks in the Rockies and their difficulty ranges tremendously. Grand Teton is one of the most classic technical climbs in the country but is also extremely popular. Yellowstone is a classic park, but its highpoint is so remote that few attempts are made. Mesa Verde, on the other hand, is a drive-up.
| Rocky Mountain National Park | Longs Peak | 14,255' | 6 |
| Grand Teton National Park | Grand Teton | 13,770' | 8 |
| Yellowstone National Park | Eagle Peak | 11,367' | 12 |
| Great Sand Dunes National Park* | near Mount Herard (37.8236, -105.5092) | 10,520' | 14 |
| Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park | Poison Spring Hill | 9,040' | 22 |
| Mesa Verde National Park | Park Point Lookout | 8,571' | 28 |
* This prominence is located along the boundary line of the official "National Park" portion of the overall "Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve" dual-unit. Including the preserve, the highpoint would be Tijeras Peak at 13,610'.
Midwest
The vast majority of these highpoints are incredibly underwhelming. These are the parks of the Great Plains, with little in the way of vertical. However, a few parks stand out; notably Wind Cave and Theodore Roosevelt.
| Wind Cave National Park | Rankin Ridge | 5,013' | 40 |
| Badlands National Park | Red Shirt Table | 3,340' | 44 |
| Theodore Roosevelt National Park | Peck Hill | 2,860' | 49 |
| Voyageurs National Park | Tower View | 1,400' | 53 |
| Isle Royale National Park | Mount Desor | 1,394' | 54 |
| Cuyahoga Valley National Park | (41.2612, -81.6198) | 1,170' | 56 |
| Indiana Dunes National Park | (41.6237, -86.8418) | 900' | 58 |
| Gateway Arch National Park | Kiener Plaza | 470' | 59 |
East Coast Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains of the east have nothing on the Rockies or Sierras of the west, but do offer some splendid highpointing nonetheless. Clingmans Dome is the highpoint of both Tennessee and the Appalachian Trail, and even lowly Cadillac Mountain is traditionally cited as having the first sunrise in the United States.
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Clingmans Dome | 6,643' | 34 |
| Shenandoah National Park | Hawksbill | 4,050' | 43 |
| New River Gorge National Park | Swell Mountain | 3,280' | 46 |
| Acadia National Park | Cadillac Mountain | 1,528' | 51 |
Southeast
Topping out at 1,400', these "highpoints" leave a lot to be desired in that title, but they are National Park highpoints nonetheless. Great places to start, at any rate!
| Hot Springs National Park | Music Mountain | 1,400' | 52 |
| Virgin Islands National Park | Bordeaux Mountain | 1,286' | 55 |
| Mammoth Cave National Park | (37.1560, -86.0492) | 920' | 57 |
| Congaree National Park | (33.8434, -80.8296) | 130' | 60 |
| Dry Tortugas National Park | Loggerhead Key | 10' | 61 |
| Everglades National Park | Grossman Hammock | 10' | 62 |
| Biscayne National Park | Totten Key | 9' | 63 |
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31 Mountains & Rocks