In the language of mountaineering in the Western United States, a fourteener (also called 14er) is a mountain peak that reaches at least 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) in height. There are 96 fourteeners in the United States, and all of them are located west of the Mississippi River. Colorado has 53 fourteeners, which is the highest number of any single state. Alaska has 29 fourteeners, the second-highest number of any single state. Some climbers attempt to climb all fourteeners in the contiguous United States, or in one specific state, or in another region.

Qualification criteria

The top of a mountain or hill can be measured in three main ways.

Not every mountain or hill that is more than 14,000 feet tall is called a "fourteener." To be considered a fourteener, a mountain must be independent. Independence is judged using two main rules: topographic prominence (how much higher the mountain is than nearby land) and isolation (how far it is from a taller mountain). However, lists of fourteeners do not always use these rules the same way.

In the United States, many climbers use a rule that says a mountain must be at least 300 feet (91 meters) higher than the surrounding land to be a fourteener. Using this rule, Colorado has 53 fourteeners, California has 12, and Washington has 2.

In Alaska, the Mountaineering Club of Alaska uses a different rule. They require a mountain to be at least 500 feet (150 meters) higher than the surrounding land. By this rule, Alaska has at least 19 mountains over 14,000 feet (4,267 meters). It is also home to all 9 mountains in the United States that are taller than 15,000 feet (4,572 meters).

Fourteeners

Download coordinates as: The table below shows 96 mountain peaks in the United States that are at least 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) high and have a prominence of at least 300 feet (91.44 meters). Out of these, 53 are located in Colorado, 29 in Alaska, 12 in California, and 2 in Washington. The 22 highest fourteeners are all in Alaska.

Topographic prominence

The table above uses a rule that only includes mountains with a height difference of at least 300 feet (about 91 meters) from the surrounding land. This rule includes 96 mountains. The number of mountains listed depends on the rule used. A rule of 100 meters (about 328 feet) includes 90 mountains, 500 feet (about 152 meters) includes 77 mountains, 1,000 feet (about 305 meters) includes 63 mountains, and 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) includes 46 mountains.

Some U.S. mountain peaks reach an elevation of 14,000 feet but have a height difference of less than 300 feet from the surrounding land.