Every named mountain peak in the United States, plotted on one interactive map. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the federal database run by the U.S. Geological Survey, currently lists 68,708 named summits across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This map plots them all and lets you filter by state, by minimum elevation (useful for tracking down the country’s 14,000-foot peaks), or by name.

Click any peak to see its precise elevation (live from USGS 3DEP), county, coordinates, and links to view it on Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, or the official USGS GNIS record.

US mountain peaks at a glance

• 68,708 named peaks across the United States (USGS GNIS, 50 states + DC)
• 20,228 ft — the highest point in the country (Denali, Alaska)
• 4,003 ft — average elevation of all named US peaks
• 91 peaks above 14,000 ft (the “14ers”)
• 695 peaks above 13,000 ft
• 3,649 peaks above 10,000 ft
• 23,428 peaks above 5,000 ft
• 4 states with at least one 14er; 13 states with at least one peak above 10,000 ft

States with the most named peaks

These ten states between them contain more than half of every named peak in the US. Western states dominate, but New York, North Carolina, Maine, and Massachusetts all make the top 20 — a reminder that GNIS counts hills, knolls, and minor summits in the East alongside the giant western ranges.

The 25 highest named peaks in America

Every entry on this list is over 14,000 feet. Alaska’s Denali tops the country at over 20,000 feet; Colorado and California dominate the rest of the list.

The highest point in each state

Sorted from highest to lowest. The contrast is striking: Alaska’s ceiling is over 20,000 ft above sea level; Florida’s “highest summit” tops out under 350 ft.

States ranked by average peak elevation

Where do you have to climb the highest — on average — to bag a named summit? Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah lead the country, with average named-peak elevations above 9,000 feet.

Peak density: which states pack the most peaks per square mile?

Count alone favours big states. Density (named peaks per 1,000 square miles of land area) reveals where mountains are most tightly packed — small, rugged states like New Hampshire and Vermont punch far above their weight here.

Where the 14ers are

A “14er” is a peak rising at least 14,000 ft (4,267 m) above sea level. They’re a defining target for serious mountaineers, and they exist in only a handful of states.

How this map was built

Peak locations: the U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Domestic Names file, filtered to features classified as “Summit” with valid coordinates in the 50 states or DC. This is the official federal record of named geographic features in the United States.

Elevations: the GNIS bulk file no longer publishes elevation values, so every summit was reverse-elevated against the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) point query service. Where a peak falls outside 3DEP coverage (a small number of Alaskan features and offshore points), the elevation reads “Not available”. Elevations are best treated as ground elevations at the recorded GNIS coordinate, not surveyed summit heights, and may differ slightly from official benchmark elevations.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the highest named peak in the United States?

Churchill Peaks, in Denali, AK — 20,228 ft above sea level. It is the highest summit in North America.

Which state has the most named mountain peaks?

California leads the country with 5,602 named peaks recorded in GNIS. Oregon, New York, Arizona, and Colorado round out the top five.

How many 14ers are there in the US?

The map counts 91 named peaks at or above 14,000 ft. Note that mountaineering lists (such as the well-known “Colorado 14ers” list) often add a prominence rule that excludes sub-peaks; this map shows every named GNIS summit above the elevation threshold, sub-peaks included.

Are state high points the same as the highest named GNIS peak in a state?

Usually yes, but not always. State high points are sometimes unnamed bumps or ridges that don’t have a GNIS “Summit” record. For example, the official high point of Florida (Britton Hill, 345 ft) does appear in GNIS, but a few state high points are unnamed locations that won’t show up on this map.

Sources

• U.S. Geological Survey — Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Domestic Names
• U.S. Geological Survey — 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Point Query Service
• U.S. Census Bureau — State land area figures (2010)