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Although most of the responses have focused on the shape/size of the mountains and the scenery, I would say nothing in the US is like the Alps because the large US mountain ranges are true wilderness, and there is almost no such in Europe.
If you go backpacking in the US, you sleep outdoors in a tent and carry/prepare all your own food. If you backpack in the Alps, you sleep in a hut and buy food prepared for you every day.
I don’t think America has an answer to them. The Rockies don’t come close, maybe the Cascades more so but still a far cry. You have places like Jungfrau in the alps that rise 9,000’ over a very short distance and there’s just nothing like that in the US. I really wish there were!
I don’t think America has an answer to them. The Rockies don’t come close, maybe the Cascades more so but still a far cry. You have places like Jungfrau in the alps that rise 9,000’ over a very short distance and there’s just nothing like that in the US. I really wish there were!
The North Cascades come very close.
The western valleys are close to sea level while the mountains immediately to the east can rise above 9,000 ft.
Most climbers know that. Denali is more similar to what you see in the Himalayas not the Alps.
Every mountaineer, geologist and climber knows that The North Cascade complex of Washington state is considered to be the most similar to the Alps of Europe in terms of vertical rise, terrain and glaciation. That is why the vast majority of American climbers train there in preparation for the greater ranges of the Himalayas and Alaska.
Nadnerb is correct. There is an abundant number of peaks in the North Cascades complex that rise over 5,000-7000 feet above the valley floor. It’s much more comparable to what you would find in the Canadian Rockies and Alps. Davis Peak in the North Cascades is believed to be the only place in the lower 48 that drops over one vertical mile within one horizontal mile. Most people don’t go there because they are more focused on the Volcanic peaks of the Cascades.
South of the North Cascades you obviously have the giant of Mount Rainier which has over 9,000 feet rise in less than 2.89 miles. Rainier has the same prominence of K2.
The combination of large peaks with significant vertical rise and significant glaciation make the North Cascades the most like the Alps in the United States.
The Rockies in the United States are much more gentle and lack large alpine glaciers. They definitely don’t feel or look as large as what you see in the North Cascades and their sister to the north in Canada.
Last edited by Thealpinist; 03-11-2024 at 04:26 PM..
There is an abundant number of peaks in the North Cascades complex that rise over 5,000-7000 feet above the valley floor. It’s much more comparable to what you would find in the Canadian Rockies and Alps. Davis Peak in the North Cascades is believed to be the only place in the lower 48 that drops over one vertical mile within one horizontal mile. Most people don’t go there because they are more focused on the Volcanic peaks of the Cascades.
Another reason very few visit North Cascades National Park (and its peaks) is that there are no roads officially in the giant park!! Washington Route 20 (closed in winter) crosses the park complex east/west, and divides the North Unit and the South Unit. But it doesn't touch the Park. Rather it passes through the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Within Ross Lake National Recreation Area are three dams and three power plants, which predate the establishment of the National Park, and which feed electricity to the Seattle area,. It takes a huge effort to climb most of the major peaks, which are very remote and far removed from any vehicular (or Ross Lake) access.
The Wallowas is a good guess. I was thinking that or maybe the Olympic Range.
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