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I have not been to either mountain, just drove in their general vicinity.
But here are two mountains, both the highest peak in their respective states. Humphreys, despite being almost twice as tall as Mount Mitchell, actually has almost the same prominence than Mount Mitchell.
As people have said, it's the prominence, not the elevation, of a mountain that makes it more scenic. The bigger the prominence, the more beautiful the mountain is. Since these two mountains have virtually the same prominence, it would stand to reason that Mount Mitchell is indeed as beautiful as Humphreys Peak, unless we count other factors, such as vegetation.
I think in terms of the mountains majesty, both are identical, as they have almost the same prominence. I think which mountain you prefer depends on what kind of vegetation you prefer.
If you like forests, then Mt Mitchell is for you. If you like Alpine tundra, then Humphreys is for you, because it extends above the tree line and tends to have more snow for more months of the year.
Prominence is often misleading simply because most people don't know how it's calculated. Prominence is not a measure of grandiosity or anything like that. It's simply a measurement of how isolated a mountain peak is.
Prominence is calculated using the lowest point (key col) on an imaginary ridgeline between a peak and its parent.
Mount Mitchell is the highest point in the Appalachians. Its parent peak is Divide Mountain - almost 2000 miles away in the Montana Rockies. The key col is the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal (yes, Illinois) - elevation 595'.
6684-595=6089.
Mount Mitchell doesn't stand out on its own. There are peaks all around it. It owes its prominence to the fact it's the highest point in the Appalachians. That's it.
Another misleading example of prominence - Mount Princeton in Colorado. It is a massive mountain that towers roughly 6,000 feet over the town of Buena Vista. You cannot miss it driving into the Arkansas Valley from South Park. Its prominence - 2157'. Why? The lowest point between it and its parent (Mount Harvard) is Browns Pass, 12,040'. It's also not isolated. It's nearest higher neighbor is Mount Antero - 72' higher, and only 5 miles to the south.
Mountains really need a calculation similar to what broadcast towers use HAAT - Height Above Average Terrain.
Humphreys for me, while the prominence may be similar the isolation of the SF peaks as a dormant volcano along with the jagged shape makes it far more interesting to me. I also appreciate the vegetation variance allotted at Humphrey's given it's massive elevation, it is home to the only Tundra environment in Arizona.
Prominence is often misleading simply because most people don't know how it's calculated. Prominence is not a measure of grandiosity or anything like that. It's simply a measurement of how isolated a mountain peak is.
Prominence is calculated using the lowest point (key col) on an imaginary ridgeline between a peak and its parent.
Mount Mitchell is the highest point in the Appalachians. Its parent peak is Divide Mountain - almost 2000 miles away in the Montana Rockies. The key col is the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal (yes, Illinois) - elevation 595'.
6684-595=6089.
Mount Mitchell doesn't stand out on its own. There are peaks all around it. It owes its prominence to the fact it's the highest point in the Appalachians. That's it.
Another misleading example of prominence - Mount Princeton in Colorado. It is a massive mountain that towers roughly 6,000 feet over the town of Buena Vista. You cannot miss it driving into the Arkansas Valley from South Park. Its prominence - 2157'. Why? The lowest point between it and its parent (Mount Harvard) is Browns Pass, 12,040'. It's also not isolated. It's nearest higher neighbor is Mount Antero - 72' higher, and only 5 miles to the south.
Mountains really need a calculation similar to what broadcast towers use HAAT - Height Above Average Terrain.
Great point, and a good description of how prominence sounds more descriptive than the actual definition. The examples that you used were good, as well- Princeton (and other Collegiate Peaks) look much more impressive in this regard than on paper. Another one that sticks in my mind is Mt. Sopris, which to me is maybe the most impressive mountain in the state of CO, but is connected to and lower than some of the other West Elks and therefore suffers in prominence numbers.
Back to this competition, it's a tough one for me. I've never been to the top of Humphrey's Peak, but I've driven by many times, and nearly every season. I like the striking contrast between peak and surrounding high desert, and I'm sure the tundra at the highest elevations is cool to experience. So I find it to be a very impressive peak.
That said, I'm quite familiar with Mount Mitchell, and while I agree that the official prominence is misleading due to its place as the highest mountain in the east, it's also no slouch. It's not much higher than the surrounding mountain, true, but the Black Mountains are substantially higher than the surrounding ranges by 3,000'+, and tower impressively over the foothills. I used to regularly drive from Marion, NC (1,400') to the top of Mount Mitchell (6,684'), and going up a vertical mile in an hour drive- especially on the east coast- is an impressive little trip. Not to mention, the foliage and climate of a sub-alpine spruce and fir forest is a rarity in the Southeastern US!
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