- The Rocky and Appalachian Mountains contain numerous smaller mountain ranges.
- Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains are known for their vibrant blue color.
- Denali, the highest point in North America, is located in the Alaska Range Mountains.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Of America’s many famous landmarks and natural wonders, its mountain ranges are some of the most beautiful parts of the country.
Here are 17 dazzling mountain ranges located in the US.
The Rocky Mountains span 3,000 miles and include over 100 distinct ranges.
The Rockies span from northern Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, to New Mexico. There are four subdivisions of the Rocky Mountains: the Canadian Rockies, the Middle Rockies, the Southern Rockies, and the Colorado Plateau.
Encyclopedia Britannica calls the Sierra Nevada mountain range “one of the most beautiful physical features of the United States.”
Located along the eastern edge of California, peaks in the Sierra Nevada range from 11,000 to 14,000 feet high.
Teton is part of the Middle Rocky Mountains in Wyoming.
The range's highest peak is Grand Teton, which measures 13,770 feet.
The Cascade Mountain Range is known as the "American Alps."
The mountain range stretches through California, Oregon, and Washington, and into British Columbia.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited national park in the US.
Situated on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains contain more than 800 square miles of trails.
The Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia are known for their vibrant color.
They are a subset of the Appalachian Mountains, and their blue color comes from isoprene emitted by trees and plants in the area.
The Alaska Range Mountains are located inside Denali National Park in Alaska.
The 600-mile mountain range also contains Denali, the highest point in North America at 20,310 feet.
The White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine contain the highest elevations in the northeastern US.
The Presidential Range within the White Mountains contains its highest point, the 6,288-foot Mount Washington.
The Adirondack Mountains in New York contain over 31,000 miles of rivers and streams.
Adirondack Park is the largest American state or national park outside of Alaska - roughly the size of Vermont.
The Wasatch Mountains in Utah are part of the south-central Rocky Mountains.
Its highest point, Mount Nebo, is 11,928 feet tall. The range sits east of Salt Lake City and the Great Salt Lake.
The Appalachian Mountains are some of the oldest mountains on Earth.
Over 2,000 miles of mountains stretch from Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada to Alabama and Mississippi. Conservationist John Muir described the Appalachian Mountains and canyons in North Carolina as "the finest in America of its kind" and "the face of all Heaven come to earth."
The Sawtooth Mountain Range in Idaho covers 678 square miles.
The Sawtooth Mountains' highest elevation is Thompson Peak at 10,751 feet. The Sawtooth National Recreation Area features over 700 miles of trails and 300 mountain lakes.
The Elk Mountains of Colorado, part of the southern Rockies, has six peaks over 14,000 feet.
The mountain range is surrounded by the Gunnison and White River national forests.
The Olympic Mountains in Washington contain around 60 glaciers.
English explorer John Meares named Mount Olympus in 1788 after the mythical Greek mountain where the gods reside.
The Kenai Mountains are known for their stunning glaciers.
Most peaks in the Kenai Mountains are between 3,000 to 5,000 feet.
Utah's Uinta Mountains contain 1,000 natural lakes and over 400 miles of streams.
The mountain range is inside the Ashley National Forest established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908.
The Bighorn Mountains feature a diverse topography including prairies, valleys, deserts, and waterfalls.
Located in Wyoming and Montana, the Bighorn Mountains are halfway between Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park.
