Mountain sights in USA
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Pillar Mountain
From the top of this 1270ft mountain behind the city you'll have excellent views of the surrounding mountains, ocean, beaches and islands. One side seems to plunge straight down to the harbor below, and the other overlooks the green interior of Kodiak Island. Pick up the bumpy dirt road to the top by walking or driving north up Thorsheim Ave and turning left on Maple Ave, which runs into Pillar Mountain Rd.
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Mt McKinley
Encompassing both the north and south flanks of the Alaska Range, 237 miles from Anchorage and about half that distance from Fairbanks, Denali National Park is an immense subarctic wilderness centered on Mt McKinley - North America's highest peak and an overwhelming sight when caught on a clear day. At 20,320ft, the peak of this massif is almost 4 miles high, but what makes it stunning is that it rises from an elevation of just 2000ft.
From Park Rd, you'll see 18,000ft of rock, snow and glacier reaching for the sky. In contrast, Mt Everest, the world's highest mountain at 29,028ft, rises only 11,000ft from the lofty Tibetan Plateau.
Mt McKinley is not visible from the park…
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Chitina
The end of Edgerton Hwy is 10 miles beyond Liberty Falls State Recreation Site, at little Chitina, the last place you can purchase gas. There's a grocery store here too, and a café, an art gallery and a ranger station. Backpackers can camp along the 3-mile road south to O'Brien Creek or beside Town Lake.
At Chitina, the McCarthy Rd begins, auspiciously enough, by passing through a single-lane notch blasted through a granite outcrop. From here 60 miles eastward you'll be tracing the abandoned Copper River & Northwest Railroad bed that was used to transport copper from the mines to Cordova. Though your around US$40-a-day rental car can usually travel this stretch during th…
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Diamond Head State Monument
One of the best-known landmarks in the Pacific, Diamond Head is familiar to every visitor to O'ahu as the backdrop to Waikiki. The 228m (760ft) mountain is a tuff cone and crater formed by a violent steam explosion deep beneath the surface long after most of O'ahu's volcanic activity had stopped.
The crater is the site of Diamond Head State Monument, a visitor facility with picnic tables and a hiking trail up to the crater summit.
The trail to Diamond Head summit was built in 1910 to service the military observation stations located along the crater rim. Today it's a popular hike. Don't expect a walk in the park, as it's a fairly steep hike that takes about one hour retur…
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Grand Teton
Crowning glory of the park, the dagger-edged Grand Teton (4197m/13,770ft) is a classic (and challenging) climb. It starts with a strenuous hike up Garnet Canyon and making camp. Day two requires an alpine start. The Owen-Spaulding route is the most popular, but there are lots of variants to choose from.
The climb itself consists of 820m (2700ft) of elevation gain, fun scrambling, three easy 5th-class pitches, and an exciting rappel from high on the mountain. Views from above are unparalleled. Ah, and then there's getting down...Very fit nonclimbers can complete the climb with an outfitter and some training beforehand.
Day climbers don't need to register, but those stayin…
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Anvil Mountain
The climb up 1062ft Anvil Mountain is the closest hike to Nome and the only one that can be easily pulled off without a car. Follow the Teller Hwy 3.5 miles from town to Glacier Creek Rd, which takes you directly onto the mountain. After the road veers left, look for a smooth route up the slope and commence your climb. It's about one mile round-trip to the summit, ascending through wonderful wildflower patches.
At the top you'll find the giant parabolic antennae of the Cold War-era White Alice Communications System, plus great views of town and the ocean as well as the Kigluaik Mountains farther inland.
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Barometer Mountain
This popular hiking trail is a steep climb and a 4-mile round-trip to the 2452ft summit. To reach the trailhead, follow Chiniak Rd south of Buskin River Campground and turn right on Burma Rd, the first road immediately after passing the end of the airport's runway. Look for a well-worn trail on the left. The trek, which begins in thick alder before climbing the hogback ridge of the mountain, provides spectacular views of Kodiak and the bays south of the city.
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Nu'uanu Pali Lookout
Whatever you do, don't miss the ridge-top Nu'uanu Pali Lookout with its sweeping vista of windward O'ahu from a height of 1200ft (366m). From the lookout you can see Kane'ohe straight ahead, Kailua to the right, and Mokoli'i Island and the coastal fishpond at Kualoa Regional Park to the far left.
This is windward O'ahu - and the winds that funnel through the pali are so strong that you can sometimes lean against them.
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Crouching Lion
The legend goes like so: the rock is a demigod from Tahiti who was cemented to the mountain during a jealous struggle between the volcano goddess Pele and her sister Hiiaka. When he tried to free himself by crouching, he was turned to stone. To find him, stand at the restaurant sign just north of the 27-mile marker with your back to the ocean and look straight up to the left of the coconut tree and the cliff above.
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North Sister Mountain
Starting 150ft up a creek bed a mile before the end of Monashka Bay Rd, this trail (find it on the left side of the creek bed) first leads up steeply through dense brush, but then levels off on alpine tundra. The summit of North Sister (2100ft) is the first peak seen (to your left), about a mile from the trailhead. The other two sisters are also accessible from here.
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Butler Peak
A fun backcountry destination is Butler Peak a mountain top crowned by a historic fire lookout tower, from where you have tremendous panoramic views. You'll need a mountain-bike or high-clearance vehicle to get there, or join a guided tour.
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Siskiyou Summit
About 25 miles north of Yreka on I-5, just across the Oregon border, Siskiyou Summit closes often in winter - even when the weather is just fine on either side.
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