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"Subrange" / "region" / "physiographic province" / "portion" / "segment" . . . What have you.
What is your favorite part of the Rockies and the Appalachians, and why?
Is it because of a particular peak(s) or cluster? A national / state park? Because it besets a particular city/town, or you feel it's the prettiest stretch of the entire range? Is it for sentimental, or recreational, or other aesthetic-driven reasons?
My answers:
I. Rockies - Livingston Range, Glacier NP, Montana. Unequivocally, the most stunning landscape I have seen in the U.S. Much more striking and dramatic than anything in Colorado, imo. The shapes of the peaks are so imposing and unique due to their glacial genesis -- as opposed to many peaks out west that involve relatively symmetrical slopes, the flanks and summits of the Livingston Mountains hook, dive, narrow, saddle, and crown in the most compelling ways, esp. those which surround Going to the Sun Road. They look like titanic cathedrals / fortresses with otherworldly spires. Just awe-inspiring.
II. Appalachians - White Mountains, New Hampshire. In particular, the Presidential Range. If you've ever seen those glorious mountains in the fall when the leaves are at their peak color, then you know how utterly stunning the Whites can be. Imo, it's as good as scenery gets on the East Coast. I do have a big place in my heart for the Ridge and Valley region of the southern Apps (esp. those around Birmingham, AL, because they always give me the feeling of home), but I freely assert that the Whites define the most specular stretch of the entire Appalachian system. Really incredible historical heritage up there as well at the Mount Washington Hotel (seehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bret...ods_Conference), and Mount Washington's meteorological claim to fame for the highest non-tornadic, non-cyclonic windspeed on Earth being recorded at its summit.
For the Rockies it's a close one between the San Juans and Elks for me. These are very colorful and rugged and unmistakable as the Rockies.
For the Apps it's a close one between the Whites and Blue Ridge. The Whites have a treeline which gives them that classic alpine look but the Blues are technically higher and cover more area (the Black Mountains, Smokies, and Great Balsams are all subranges of the Blue Ridge for instance).
For the Rockies it's a close one between the San Juans and Elks for me. These are very colorful and rugged and unmistakable as the Rockies.
For the Apps it's a close one between the Whites and Blue Ridge. The Whites have a treeline which gives them that classic alpine look but the Blues are technically higher and cover more area (the Black Mountains, Smokies, and Great Balsams are all subranges of the Blue Ridge for instance).
Blue Ridge is higher than Whites but the vertical rise of the mountains from Valley floor in Whites exceeds anything in Blue Ridge with sole exception of LeConte which gets closer to Mount Washingtons vertical rise, but still is slightly lower.
San Juans don't count as a subrange! If they are a subrange, everything else is the 'Front Range' in CO to make alpine acres equivalent. The San Juans are really like 4 subranges coalesced close together, some are volcanic in origin, others are not - some parts are deviod of people, some parts are pretty popular. The parts most people fall in love with are the western orange creamsicle part of the range (west of 550) and the Grenadier / Needles part NE of Durango, cause it's so jagged & rugged cause the rock origin is so hard.
14ers.com had a poll on this once for CO, the 'San Juans' came in first and the Sangre de Cristo Range came in #2. The 'Front Range' came in last lol , though the Front Range really does have some cool stuff, despite somewhat larger crowds. I can vouch for the Sangre's being one of the best hiking ranges in the state, the rock layers are just cooler, the cliffs are bigger, and the lack of other mountains blocking the view on either side is unique.
I feel like the Wind River and Absaroka and Bighorn ranges of WY are pretty neat, they are just so off the radar most people haven't been. From pictures, they win for being the epitome of most 'rocky'. That's the kind of country where you actually do have to carry a gun though.
I haven't explored the Appalachians much, but I feel like their charm is biodiversity and rivers. They are indeed mountains, but you just don't get views or rock faces outside of a couple spots. Whatever that part is with thousands of hills and valleys that's in eastern KY, OH, and WV intrigues me most!
Rockies: Glacier. I’ve not seen the San Juan’s in person, but they might be competitive. The rest of CO and WY weren’t that impressive. Glacier was actually really nice, possibly my favorite mountains in the US.
Appalachians: I don’t have a specific range, but western NC in general is much taller than the rest of the Appalachians. There are quite a few peaks over 6k, and outside of NC I think the only other mountain that tall is Mt. Washington in NH.
For the Appalachians, my favorite part I've been to is Grayson Highlands in Virginia of the Blue Ridge range. Here's a pic from this summer:
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, though the Front Range really does have some cool stuff, despite somewhat larger crowds. I can vouch for the Sangre's being one of the best hiking ranges in the state, the rock layers are just cooler, the cliffs are bigger, and the lack of other mountains blocking the view on either side is unique. 
