Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't understand this type of competition. I remember a lady from New Hampshire coming to our water class and commenting that New Hampshire had higher mountains than North Carolina. I asked her if she had seen the North Carolina mountains since North Carolina has the highest mountain in the USA east of the Mississippi? She didn't know that and was shocked to learn that. Why can't we just enjoy each mountain for what it is?
I didn't vote because I have never seen either of the mountains mentioned.
In her defense, Mt Washington is the most Prominent mountain on the east coast, and some trails have close to 5,600 feet of elevation gain, as trails on the east side (tuckerman being the most common) of the mountain start at about 700ft.
For Mitchell, the "base" is near 3,000 feet, meaning the actual climb is about 1,800 feet less than Washington, and less than most of the Presidential, as well as Lafayette.
Last edited by btownboss4; 07-21-2017 at 10:40 AM..
The most prominent feature of how mountains rank is elevation. Both are close, but Rainier is apprx. 300 feet taller than Shasta.
Beyond that, I will agree with others that how many can see it is perhaps more important. In this case, no contest with Seattle and Tacoma within full view on clear to partly cloudy days.
I think elevation is over rated because the base for a lot of mountains start very high up. Mt Rainier starts at around 500 ft and goes to 14,411 giving it a prominence of almost 14,000 feet. Mt. Shasta is only 9700 feet in prominence. The only Mountains that are more dominant in the US than Rainier are in Alaska.
The Adirondacks don't count subpeaks like they do in New Hampshire.
When it comes to high peaks, comparing the Adirondacks and the Whites are like comparing skyscrapers in New York and Chicago. New York is much larger area and more sustained height. Whites are much smaller area but a few hundred feet taller.
There needs to be a certain distance of decent to the lowest point in the col to be considered a different peak, It may be a different standard, but I'm not sure about that. Its 48 vs 43, although there is technically one White Mountain 4,000 footer in Maine just across the border from Conway, but that doesn't really count.
Edit: actually the least prominate peak in the Northeast 111 is Mt Armstrong (98 feet) in the Adirondacks.
Last edited by btownboss4; 07-21-2017 at 09:25 PM..
Mt. Rainier! Yes, I do have an awesome view of Rainer 30 miles east of my bedroom window, but I am not partial due to this fact. I love mountains in general! The first time I came across Shasta, I was on I-5, southbound. I knew at first glance she looked bigger than Rainier in overall size, and it was amazing how close you could get to Shasta and still see her in her entirety (because how plain the surrounding area was). Rainier is over 3,000ft more prominent than Shasta, but when being able to view Shasta in her entirety at such close proximity, it‘s hard to say Rainier looked that much more prominent. Where Mt. Rainier really steals the show is how much it dominates the horizon in so many different settings, from so far away. You don’t see Shasta very far out, you come up on it quickly, and it’s gone just-like-that. Rainier dominates for such a long distance. Rainier is covered in a lot of snow/glaciers year round. The immediate area is green, lush, and surrounded by beautiful mountains, lakes, and rivers. You can see her in the backdrop of Seattle, you see her from sea level rising way above Puget Sound, she dominates from urban, to the most rural of areas. If the two mountains switched locations, it would be a much closer argument, but Rainier is honestly much more visibly pleasing year round, has so many angles, for such a long distance, even at low elevations, that I continue to find new perspectives that put me in awe so many years later..
Mt. Rainier happens to be the screenshot on my computer. Have to go with Rainier.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
