If you’re an experienced climber and absolutely sure you’ve got what it takes, then maybe, just maybe you can conquer these 11 most difficult mountains to climb in US. We aren’t kidding here. Some of these have got a notorious reputation for climbers ending up dead in abyss.
Unless someone possesses the natural admiration and love for mountain terrains, it can be very hard to explain to the others your hobby. Why would anyone spend hours or days just to climb on top of a rock and take a few photos? Hours of toil for a 5-minute pleasure? Surely you can’t stay there for hours, can you? Not that it’s a very pleasant stay either – usually the winds are blowing and freezing you to the bone (or death). Still, it is the feeling and adrenaline that push you forward. Perhaps not everyone will understand why you indulge yourself so much in the stunning view, but the majority could grasp your sense of the danger. The thrill, the excitement you feel while overcoming all kinds of obstacles. Because these mountains are no piece of cake, despite the frosting on the top.
Xseon/Shutterstock.com
As an experienced climber, you’ve already met with all kinds of questions about your demanding hobby. Usually, people wish to know which is the hardest mountain to climb, and by that they mean the one involving death-defying rock climbing. For the US, that would be the Jumbo Love route on Clark Mountain, California. When discussing what is the hardest climb in the world, that would undoubtedly be Annapurna, in Nepal, of course. Usually, a mountain takes a few days to climb, but for Annapurna, we’re talking 40-50 days. It’s not the highest peak, but the climb is incredibly dangerous. There’s a 40% fatality rate due to severe conditions. Nature giants with similar features are K2, Kangchenjunga (also in the Himalaya), Baintha Brakk (Pakistan), and Mount Everest, too. While we’re mentioning Baintha Brakk, or the Ogre as it is commonly known, it must be mentioned the mountain has only been climbed three times (!). Normally the answer to what mountain has never been climbed is another one which is now strictly forbidden for climbers for religious reasons, but you can read about that and best mountain to climb for beginners in our article about the easiest mountains to climb in USA. You’ll see there are lots of non technical mountain climbs there which you could recommend to your friends.
So let’s continue the discussion about American mountains ranges and what the 10 hardest mountains to climb are. Or are we? If you were observant enough, you’ve noticed the figure we’d mentioned is 11. You’d better be good at noticing details high up there. These are hardest mountains to climb in the lower 48, with the addition of a couple spreading outside these borders. All in all, we researched the whole of the US territory. We found the most challenging mountain climbs at Joe Dorish Weather, Matador Network, and Adventure Blog. Discussing the difficulty of climbing and creating one criterion for ranking is… well, difficult. One thought that crossed our mind was to rank them on death tolls. One of them is known to have been the place of at least 400 deaths. Feeling the chills yet? However, not all mountains have the same starting point for collecting the fatalities’ records, so we gave it up. Instead, we opted for something much more pleasant to read about: the elevation gain. Each mountain has several factors contributing to its climbing difficulty: the terrain, the weather conditions, the equipment needed… Sometimes you don’t need that much equipment, but the changeable weather can make a difference between life and death. Therefore, the mountains are ranked according to the highest elevation gains which we also found at AllTrails, Section Hiker, 14ers, and Haleakala National Park. After all, great changes in height influence your stability and resistance to vertigo (don’t you need it).
Without further ado, here are 11 most difficult mountains to climb in US, together with the descriptions of their trails and reasons why so many people fail to reach to the top. To help you imagine the experience, we added videos for each mountain.
11. Mount Washington, South Gully, Huntington Ravine Route
Location: New Hampshire
Altitude: 6,288 feet
Elevation gain: 4,300 feet
Time required: 1-2 days
It has to be admitted that Mount Katahdin, Maine, lost its place to Mount Washington for only 100 feet. Still, fair is fair. Mount Washington is a hard one to climb. Roughly speaking, some 135 people have died on it since 1849. Wonder why? Hypothermia, falls, drownings, avalanches, ice falls, natural causes and even skiing accidents. The weather is extremely harsh here (231 miles-per-hour winds), so always make sure you’re well-informed about the forecast for your climb.
Let’s see what else we have on our list of most difficult mountains to climb in US, shall we?
10. Dallas Peak, Sneffels Range, East Ridge Route
Location: Colorado
Altitude: 13,809 feet
Elevation gain: 4,500 feet
Time required: 1 day
It’s open all year round, but you know better than to go climbing whenever you think of it. Navigation and technical rock climbing are all you need for it. However, because of its summit tower, Dallas Peak is considered the hardest peak above 13,113 feet in Colorado to climb.
9. Mount St. Helens, Monitor Ridge
Location: Washington
Altitude: 8,365 feet
Elevation gain: 4,600 feet
Time required: 1 day
Would you like to climb a volcano? Because that’s exactly what Mount St. Helens is. The last time it erupted was in 1980 when 57 people lost their lives. It’s known to still shake the ground from time to time. As for the climb, in the summertime, you are able to go hiking without some special equipment and look into the depths of the crater.
8. Mount Longs Peak
Location: Colorado
Altitude: 14,255 feet
Elevation gain: 5,100 feet
Time required: about 6 hours
If you take the Keyhole route, you’ll have some serious climbing to do. While some people take pets with them on their climbing trips, on this route, they’re strictly forbidden. It’s a tedious, long climb, and the last mile requires plenty of scrambling. A piece of advice: start as early as possible in summer. You don’t want to experience any thunderstorms in the middle of your ascent.
7. Mount Haleakala, Maui
Location: Hawaii
Altitude: 10,023 ft
Elevation gain: 6,130 ft
Time required: a long day
Some people go to Hawaii to sunbathe and drink cocktails, but others, like you, are much more adventurous. This volcanic mountain is so beautiful it’s considered sacred by the locals. Also, if you decide to spend the night in your sleeping bag, the night sky will leave you speechless.
6. Grand Teton, Owen Spalding (Original Route)
Location: Wyoming
Altitude: 13,770 feet
Elevation gain: 7,000 feet
Time required: 1-2 day
Now, this is one of 11 most difficult mountains to climb in US but fear not. Grand Teton is grand in many ways. It’s so impressive that the whole national park was named after it. Also, it has something for everyone! 35 routes and 50 variations to those routes – does that sound like enough? That’s probably the reason why climbers from all over the world decide to take on the challenge.
5. Mount Shasta, Hotlum-Bolam Ridge
Location: California
Altitude: 14,162 feet
Elevation gain: 7,200 feet
Time required: 1-2 days
Mount Shasta ranks 5th on our list of most difficult mountains to climb in US. It is the second highest peak in Northern California’s Cascade Range. There are a lot of challenges, and some say that Mount Shasta’s Hotlum Glacier is the perfect preparation for climbing the difficult summits down below.
4. Mount Hood, Cascade Mountains
Location: Oregon
Altitude: 11,240 feet
Elevation gain: 7710 ft
Time required: 14h 50 min
Can you believe that millions of people visit the mountain, and some 10,000 try to climb it every year? The highest mountain in Oregon is dangerous in many aspects, though. On average, about 50 people need rescue every year. Those who fail to get help usually freeze to death.
And now, let’s see the top three most difficult mountains to climb in US.
3. Forbidden Peak, West Ridge
Location: Washington
Altitude: 8,815 feet
Elevation gain: 5,600 feet
Time required: 1-2 days
Doesn’t the name sound inviting? By the way, Forbidden Peak is included on the list of 50 Classic Climbs of North America. You’ll need a standard alpine rock rack, ice axe, and crampons.
2. Mount Rainier, Ingraham Glacier Direct Route
Location: Washington
Altitude: 14,411 feet
Elevation gain: 9,000 feet
Time required: 2 days
In case Everest is too far for you, perhaps you should consider climbing Mount Rainier, the number two on our list of most difficult mountains to climb in US. It has a similar death toll. Over 400 people have died on it. Obviously, climbing it can prove to be a death trap. Around three people die on it every year, out of 8,000-13,000 who try to reach the peak. Just like it is the case with Everest, usually, it is too dangerous to take the bodies and bury them properly.
1. Mount McKinley (Denali), Buttress Route
Location: Alaska
Altitude: 20,320 feet
Elevation gain: 13,120 feet
Time required: 15+ days (according to normal ascent schedules and depending on weather)
Denali, or Mount McKinley, holds the first place in our list of 11 most difficult mountains to climb in US. This is the mountain known to all the Americans – it’s the highest point in North America, thus belonging to the 7 summits group (7 highest mountains on seven continents). Be well prepared and well aware of what you’re getting into before even thinking about climbing. 50% of the climbers give up before reaching the top. About 100 people died due to falling, avalanches, high altitude sickness, heart attacks and various accidents. If you believe you’re up for it, we wish you the best of luck, and good weather ( the temperature can get as low as -118.1 degrees in winter).
