There are around 70 peaks above 14,000 feet in the continental United States. The majority are found in the Rockies of western Colorado, where high valleys, gentle terrain, and established routes make many of the peaks accessible to people with little outdoor experience. A smooth progression of difficulty leads from the easiest peaks to the hardest. The easy access, abundance of peaks, and gentle learning curve have made climbing these “fourteeners” Colorado’s unofficial state sport, and it is rare to have one to yourself on a summer weekend.
Washington is home to one fourteener, Mount Rainier, which rises 10,000 feet or more from its base on all sides, covered entirely in glaciers. Though far more challenging than most Colorado peaks, Rainier is similarly popular, with several companies offering paid guiding to the large population of nearby Seattle. However, Rainier stands alone in Washington, not lying on an inviting learning curve. The state has many shorter peaks, but only a handful of them are similar glaciated volcanoes. Also, most climbs start low in densely-wooded valleys and require significant cross-country travel, making them inaccessible to novices.
The remaining fifteen fourteeners are in California, including the highest, Mount Whitney. Like Whitney, most are found in the high Sierra between Lone Pine and Bishop. The remaining two are White Mountain Peak, the high-point of a dry range across the Owens Valley from the Sierra, and Mount Shasta, a Pacific Rim volcano near the Oregon border. Thanks to a pack trail built by Gustave Marsh in 1904, thousands of people climb Whitney each year. Most stop there: “fourteenering” has not become the sport in California that it is in Colorado. Partly, this is because there are fewer “easy” peaks to serve as an introduction for novices, and the hardest few are somewhat technical even by their easiest routes. However, there is a reasonable learning curve for California’s fourteeners, and climbing them is an excellent introduction to mountaineering in the Sierra and elsewhere.