Which mountain is the best for hiking in USA?

Question

I have been to the white mountains a little but trying to find other mountains.

Answer 1

Well, the Whites are awesome. If you like being above tree-line, and you've tired of the Whites, you'll have to head out west. I'm personally very fond of the Sangre de Christo Range in Colorado, but I like a lot of the trails near Aspen and Maroon Bells as well. Just about any of the Colorado 14ers are nice...even Pikes Peak.

If you want to stick to the Northeast, try the Adirondacks. Only a few of the peaks have the same feeling you get in the Whites, but the hikes are all great. Giant Mtn has some great rock formations and big slabs. Whiteface is a great hike..except for the ski lift. Marcy can be crowded on weekends..but the ridgeline to the Wolfjaws is a great part of that trail.

Mt. Mansfield and Camel's Hump in VT are excellent hikes. I like Camel's Hump a bit more....no ski trails on the mountain!

Mt. Monondonk in southern NH is also a good hike. Really nice views. It's in NH but not part of the Whites.

Pick up the following book:
"High Peaks of the Northeast" by Bruce Scofield. I use it a lot. (It just happens to be on my desk.) It's great for basic planning, but get more detailed maps from USGS, the Forest Service, or the hiking clubs.

Also:
The Adirondack Mountain Club's Guide to the High Peaks:
http://www.adk.org

The Long Trail Guide or Day Hiking Guide from the Green Mountain Club:
http://www.greenmountainclub.org

There are numerous books on Colorado. I have one simply titled: "Colorado Fourteeners." It got a lot of use back when I worked out west. It's in a box now somewhere otherwise I'd give you the author.

Answer 2

The Wind Rivers in Wyoming are my favorite by far! By going in on the reservation side you are garunteed solitude.

The Sierras are a great multi use range and a great way to be introduced to hiking in the mountains. Yosemite and Toulamne can be packed with people in the high season (they are getting better at handling the trafic though). But it's packed for a reason, wonderfull hikes, great natural features.

with just a bit of planning you can hike places there and not see many people at all, even in the summer. I hiked/climbed the north ridge of Mt. Connes in a wide loop (from Saddlebag Lake), took an off beat route and had a remarkable time! This was while places like Cathedral peak in the meadow were full!

"best" mountain is a bit too subjective for me, but these are two good choices.

Answer 3

I live in western NC, and am partial to several mountains around here. One of my favorite hikes is up Blackstock Mtn, and then following the MTS trail on over to Mt. Mitchell, which is, as you know, the highest mountain in the eastern U.S. I love this hike for the variety of environments that you see while travelling along the trail. Dense, dark forest, a waterfall, rhododendron fields with rocky outcroppings with splendid views of the valleys to the south, areas of moss covered hemlocks, which are still alive here, a portion where the trail is on a ridge only about 4 feet wide, another part where the trail is like a rock garden path. You just gotta be there yourself. I can't describe it, but a friend of mine who went with a group of us told me that this was the ideal hike. I can't agree more, and have taken it numerous times. Oh! And you rarely see other people on this hike. It's just not well known for some weird reason.

Along with this hike, there are tons more connected to this one all along the Mountains to Sea Trail, which is maintained every bit as well as the Appalachian Trail, and runs along the western NC ridgelines, and near the Blue Ridge Parkway, but fortunately far enough away as to not hear the motorcycles and cars.

I have another favorite mountain to climb. It's Blood Mountain in Georgia and is on the AT. When I lived there, I hiked it almost every month, and once when the trail was perilously frozen over.

Answer 4

Willie D forgot to mention any mountains in Maine. Bigelow is great. The Appalation trail from Route 4 to route 27, Sandy River Plantation to Stratton, Goes over Saddleback and the Reddington Range. Don't forget Katahdin. Another good one in New Hampshire is Magalloway Mountain in Pittsburgh.