Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board off-topic question for someone with map software

What peak over 12,000 feet is furthest east in the lower 48? Medicine Bow Peak (12,013') in southeast Wyoming is a possibility but just looking at the map it seems a Colorado 14er might be further east.

There are at least 21 Colorado 14ers (of the 55) that are further East of Medicine Bow Peak, alot of 13ers and many 12,000' peaks over 12,013'. Pikes Peak, 14,110', holds the distinction of being the 14er farthest East.

When you all get tired of the Sierras (which to me is not possible) come visit us in Colorado. No permits required for the most part, no WAG bags, & fire restrictions are alot less
strict.

All this from a Native Californian who grew up climbing, hiking, and fishing in the High Sierras since 1947.

Quandary98, over the years, as a hobby, I have compiled a database with about 70,000 named peaks in the 50 states and the US territories.

While Pikes Peak is the easternmost 14er (longitude 105.04444 degrees west), following is a list of the highest, easternmost peaks in 1000-foot increments, from 13ers down to 6000-footers, with mileages and directions from Pikes Peak, and latitude-longitude readings in NAD27 datum. Remember, the smaller the longitude (lon) reading, the more eastern the peak is.

The most eastern 13,000-foot mountain is West Spanish Peak at 13,626 feet, 101 miles south of Pikes Peak—lat 37.37560 and lon 104.9935.

The most eastern 12,000-footer is East Spanish Peak at 12,683 feet, 100 miles south of Pikes Peak—lat 37.39360 and lon 104.92010.

The most eastern 11,000-footer is Mount Rosa at 11,499 feet, 8 miles southeast of Pikes Peak—lat 38.75410 and lon 104.94800.

The most eastern 10,000-footer is Mount Virgil at 10,073 feet, 10 miles southeast of Pikes Peak—lat 38.72680 and lon 104.92200.

The most eastern 9,000-footer is Little Fishers Peak Mesa at 9,020 feet, 129 miles southeast of Pikes Peak—lat 37.03970 and lon 104.39280.

The most eastern 8,000-footer is Bobblers Knob at 8,748 feet, 132 miles southeast of Pikes Peak—lat 36.99890 and lon 104.40160.

The most eastern 7,000-footer is in Texas: Lost Mine Peak at 7,535 feet, 669 miles SSE of Pikes Peak—lat 29.276 and lon 103.258.

To find the most eastern 6,000-footer, you have to go to New Hampshire: Mount Washington at 6,288 feet, 1,771 miles ENE of Pikes Peak—lat 44.271 and lon 71.305.

Hope this helps!

Wayne, it's incredible that you have that data at your fingertips! Keep up the good work.

Wayne is "da man"!

Wayne, fantastic! Thanks a lot.

Are you sure about Grassy Ridge, NC? I thought Mount Mitchell was the highest peak in the eastern U.S. According the Wikipedia it's 6,684'.

You're right about Mount Mitchell, which I've now climbed two times, but it is not the easternmost 6000-footer. Mt. Mitchell is the highest 6,000-foot mountain east of the Mississippi (and east of the Texas 6000-footers), but the easternmost 6000-footer is Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

Most here out East do not know that North Carolina is the most mountainous state east of the Mississippi, with over 2,700 named peaks, and 53 are over 6,000 feet. Maine comes in second with over 2,400 peaks. Colorado holds the US-record for the most peaks of any state, with over 6,800, and California comes in second with over 5,500 named peaks. Alaska, by the way, is in 7th place with under 3,000 named peaks. I would suspect there are a lot more peaks unnamed in Alaska.

Wayne -

When you look at a Rand McNally Road Atlas it appears that Mt Washington in NH (6,288') is further east than Mount Mitchell. Is that an anomaly of the way it is presented?

KevinR, your eyes are right on. I missed Mt. Washington. It is the easternmost 6000-footer!!

Thanks for the observation.

You're welcome, Wayne. I've always regarded Mt Washington as the easternmost 6K peak, but in the short time I've been a member of this board I've come to appreciate your cartography skills.

Thanks for the info, Wayne. Good stuff to think about on a cold boring day in Indiana. : ) I had no idea NC had so many peaks for 6,000'.