The fastest record of completing all 50 US States Highpoints is a little over 44 days. Yes, I agree, that’s insane AND expensive AND definitely not for everyone. So, you may ask, what is the most practical way to do highpointing? Well, there is a smart way to tackle all fifty state highpoints.
First, if you are not a rock climber, then I would suggest following a progressive order where you do easier highpoints (hikes) before attempting the harder ones. Second, if you also happen to have limited vacation days, then you also should try to attempt multiple highpoints in a single trip. You can make a loop of neighboring state highpoints and do them together.
State Highpoints By Difficulty
1. Alabama (Cheaha Mountain, 2407) – Drive up
2. Delaware (Ebright Azimuth, 448) – Drive up
3. West Virginia (Spruce Knob, 4863) – Drive up
4. Florida (Britton Hill, 345) – Drive up
5. Kansas (Mt. Sunflower, 4039) – Drive up
6. Kentucky (Black Mountain, 4145) – Drive up
7. Massachusetts (Mt. Greylock, 3491) – Drive up
8. Michigan (Mt. Arvon, 1979) – Drive up (4 Wheel Drive)
9. Mississippi (Woodall Mountain, 806) – Drive up
10. Nebraska (Panorama Point, 5424) – Drive up
11. New Hampshire (Mt.Washinton, 6288) – Drive up
12. New Jersey (High Point, 1803) – Drive up
13. Ohio (Campbell Hill, 1550) – Drive up
14. Pennsylvania (Mt. Davis, 3213) – Drive up
15. Louisiana (Driskill Mountain, 535) – Class 1 – Easy
16. Rhode Island (Jerimoth Hill, 812) – Class 1 – Easy (Private property)
17. Illinois (Charles Mound, 1235) – Class 1 – Easy (Private property)
18. Wisconsin (Timms Hill, 1951) – Class 1 – Easy
19. Indiana (Hoosier High Point, 1257) – Class 1 – Easy
20. Iowa (Hawkeye Point, 1670) – Class 1 – Easy
21. Missouri (Taum Sauk Mountain, 1772) – Class 1- Easy
22. Arkansas (Mount Magazine, 2753) – Class 1 – Easy
23. Maryland (Backbone Mountain, 3360) – Class 1 – Easy
24. Georgia (Brasstown Bald, 4784) – Class 1 – Easy
25. North Dakota (White Butte, 3506) – Class 1 – Easy (Private Property)
26. South Carolina (Sassafras Mountain, 3560) – Class 1 – Easy
27. North Carolina (Mt. Mitchell, 6684) – Class 1 – Easy
28. Tennessee (Clingmans Dome, 6643) – Class 1 – Easy
29. Vermont (Mt. Mansfield, 4393) – Class 1 – Easy
30. Hawaii (Mauna Kea, 13,796) – Class 1 – Easy (4 Wheel Drive)
31. Minnesota (Eagle Mountain, 2301) – Class 1 – Moderate
32. Oklahoma (Black Mesa, 4973) – Class 1 – Moderate
33. South Dakota (Black Elk Peak, 7242) – Class 1 – Moderate
34. Virginia (Mt. Rogers, 5729) – Class 1 – Moderate
35. Connecticut (Mt. Frissell, South Slope, 2380) – Class 2 – Moderate
36. New York (Mt. Marcy, 5344) – Class 1 – Strenuous
37. Maine (Mt. Katahdin, 5268) – Class 2 – Strenuous
38. Texas (Guadalupe Peak, 8749) – Class 1 – Strenuous
39. New Mexico (Wheeler Peak, 13,161) – Class 1 – Strenuous
40. Arizona (Humphreys Peak, 12,633) – Class 1 – Strenuous
41. Colorado (Mt. Elbert, 14,433) – Class 2 – Strenuous – higher elevation (lightning risk)
42. California (Mt. Whitney, 14,494) – Class 1 – Strenuous – higher elevation (camping)
43. Utah (Kings Peak, 13,528) – Class 2 – Strenuous
44. Nevada (Boundary Peak, 13,140) – Class 2 – Strenuous
45. Idaho (Borah Peak, 12,662) – Class 3 – Strenuous – Technical
46. Montana (Granite Peak, 12,799) – Class 4 – Strenuous – Technical
47. Oregon (Mt. Hood, 11,239) – Class 4 – Strenuous – Technical
48. Washington (Mt. Rainier, 14,411) – Class 4 – Strenuous – Technical
49. Wyoming (Gannett Peak, 13,804) – Class 4 – Strenuous – Too long & Technical
50. Alaska (Mount Denali, 20,320) – Class 4 – Strenuous – Too long & Technical
Read: Altitude Mountain Sickness
A Practical Guide to Highpointing
Here is the climbing schedule for our first 29 high points that we have finished as of November 2017. As you can notice, most of our hikes are clustered around long weekends such as Thanksgiving, Labor Day, July 4th, and summertime in general.
October is our birthday month so we take some time off and travel. You can make your own custom schedule which fits your need. But keep in mind, weather conditions matters (especially for the taller highpoints). Some highpoints such as Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Denali has snow year round.
Also, you do not want to be hiking at a higher altitude during rainy months of June and July when thunderstorms and lightning are more common. You do not want to climb in the middle of winter as well. So, find your own balance as per your preference and risk tolerance level.
Read: 50 States Highpoints: Backpack Packing List
Best Time To Highpoint
Fall (Oct – Nov) Hikes
Hawaii – Class 1 – Easy (4 Wheel Drive)
Tennessee – Class 1 – Easy
Arizona – Class 2 – Strenuous
Texas – Class 1 – Strenuous
New Mexico – Class 1 – Strenuous
Fall (Sep – Nov) Loop from Boston
Massachusetts – Drive up
New Hampshire – Drive up
Rhode Island – Class 1 – Easy (Private property)
Vermont – Class 1 – Easy
Connecticut – Class 2 – Moderate
Delaware – Drive up
Summer (July – Aug) Loop from NYC
New York – Class 1 – Strenuous
New Jersey – Drive up
Maine – Class 2 – Strenuous
Fall (Oct – Nov) Loop from New Orleans
Alabama – Drive up
Arkansas – Class 1 – Easy
Florida – Drive up
Louisiana – Class 1 – Easy
Mississippi – Drive up
Early Fall (September) Loop from DC
Pennsylvania – Drive up
Maryland – Class 1 – Easy
West Virginia – Drive up
Fall (Oct – Nov) Loop from Chattanooga, TN
Georgia – Class 1 – Easy
Kentucky – Drive up
North Carolina – Class 1 – Easy
South Carolina – Class 1 – Easy
Virginia – Class 1 – Moderate but long
Fall (Oct – Nov) Loop from St. Louis, MO
Missouri – Class 1 – Easy
Indiana – Class 1 – Drive up and walk (Private Property)
Ohio – Class 1 – Drive up and walk (Private property)
Summer (Jul – Aug) Loop from Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota – Class 1 – Moderate
Michigan – Class 1 – Drive up
Wisconsin – Class 1 – Easy
Iowa – Class 1 – Easy
Illinois – Class 1 – Drive up and walk (Private property)
Summer (July – Sep) Hikes
North Dakota – Class 1 – Easy
South Dakota – Class 1 – Moderate
Idaho – Class 3 – Strenuous
California – Class 1 – Strenuous
Nevada – Class 1 – Strenuous
Utah – Class 1 – Strenuous
Oklahoma – Class 1 – Moderate and long
Kansas – Class 1 – Easy
Nebraska – Class 1 – Easy
Alternative to Drive Up
You can choose to hike the below 11 highpoints instead of driving up to the summit or taking the cog rail to Mount Washinton (New Hampshire). Something to consider if you want to up your game or you are a 50 finisher and need something fun to keep climbing and highpointing.
1. Mississippi (Woodall Mountain) – Easy 0.1 mile walk
2. Kansas (Mt. Sunflower) – Easy 0.5 mile hike
3. West Virginia (Spruce Knob) – Easy 0.7 mile hike
4. Nebraska (Panorama Point) – Easy 2.5 miles hike
5. Kentucky (Black Mountain) – Easy 4.6 miles hike
6. Pennsylvania (Mt. Davis) – Easy 5.4 miles hike
7. Alabama (Cheaha Mountain) – Easy 7.6 miles hike
8. New Jersey (High Point) – Moderate 3.6 miles hike on the AT
9. Massachusetts (Mt. Greylock) – Difficult 10.4 miles long hike
10. Michigan (Mt. Arvon) – Difficult 12.4 miles long hike
11. New Hampshire (Mt. Washington) – Difficult 8 miles long hike
US Territories HighPoints
There are 6 more highpoints that you can consider to be the Ultimate United States Highpoint finisher. Five of these are US territories and D.C. is a federal district.
1. Washington, D.C. (Point Reno, 409) – Drive up
2. Guam (Mt. Lamlam, 1332)
3. Northern Mariana (Agrihan, 3166)
4. Puerto Rico (Cerro de Punta, 4390)
5. American Samoa (Lata Mountain, 3160)
6. US Virgin Islands (Crown Mountain, 1556)
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July 6, 2017 8:38 pm Leave your thoughts