Wrangell Mountains

Range, southern Alaska, U.S. It extends south for about 100 mi (160 km) from the Copper River to the Saint Elias Mountains near the Yukon border. Many peaks exceed 10,000 ft (3,000 m); the highest are Mount Blackburn (16,390 ft [4,990 m]), Mount Bona (16,500 ft [5,029 m]), and Mount Sanford (16,237 ft [4,950 m]). Most of the summits are extinct volcanoes. Snowfields drain into glaciers as long as 45 mi (72 km). The range forms a major part of Wrangell–Saint Elias National Park.

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Segment of the Appalachian Mountains. It extends 87 mi (140 km) across north-central New Hampshire and into western Maine. Containing the highest elevations in the northeastern U.S., its loftiest peaks, mostly 5,000–6,000 ft (1,500–1,800 m) high, occur in a series of summits that are named for U.S. presidents and make up the Presidential Range. The highest point is Mount Washington. Most of the White Mountains lie within the White Mountain National Forest. It is a popular summer and winter resort area.

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Range of the south-central Rocky Mountains. They extend about 250 mi (400 km) from southeastern Idaho to central Utah, U.S. The highest peak is Mount Timpanogos (12,008 ft [3,660 m]). The Timpanogos Cave National Monument is within the range.

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Mountain range, south-central Rocky Mountains, U.S. They extend east more than 100 mi (160 km) from the Wasatch Mountains across northeastern Utah and slightly into southwestern Wyoming. Many of the range's summits exceed 13,000 ft (4,000 m), including Kings Peak (13,528 ft [4,123 m]), the highest point in Utah.

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Mountain range, eastern Russia, in Asia. It is part of the watershed between the Pacific and Arctic oceans. The mountains are generally not high, although they reach about 8,000 ft (2,400 m) in the east. They contain deposits of gold, coal, and mica.

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West range of the Appalachian Mountains in the U.S. It extends along the North Carolina–Tennessee boundary and blends into the Blue Ridge to the east. The highest part lies within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and includes Clingmans Dome, which at 6,643 ft (2,025 m) is the highest peak. Covered by forests, it was originally the domain of the Cherokee, and the area includes the Cherokee Indian Reservation and parts of the Pisgah and Cherokee national forests. The mountains form a popular resort area that includes part of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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Mountain range, southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Idaho and Montana, U.S. The Selkirks extend some 200 mi (320 km) and in many places rise abruptly more than 8,000 ft (2,400 m). The highest summit is Mount Sir Sanford at 11,555 ft (3,522 m). Crossed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the range contains parts of Glacier and Mount Revelstoke national parks.

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Large upland region on the frontiers of east-central Russia and Mongolia. The mountains form a rough arc stretching from the Altai Mountains to Lake Baikal and connecting with the Khamar-Daban mountain system of the Transbaikalia. The western and eastern ranges, each with a different geologic history, meet in a central knot where elevations exceed 10,000 ft (3,000 m). The range's highest peak is Munku-Sardyk, in Mongolia, which reaches an elevation of 11,453 ft (3,491 m).

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Segment of the southern Rocky Mountains. The mountains extend southeast for about 250 mi (400 km) from south-central Colorado to north-central New Mexico. Many of the peaks exceed 14,000 ft (4,300 m); Blanca Peak, at 14,345 ft (4,372 m), is the highest. Tourism and mining are the main economic activities.

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Segment of the Pacific Coast Ranges, southern California, U.S. Many peaks exceed 9,000 ft (2,700 m); the highest is San Antonio Peak, or Old Baldy, at 10,080 ft (3,072 m). The range also includes Mount Wilson Observatory, northeast of Pasadena. The mountains are largely within the Angeles National Forest.

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Segment of the Pacific Coast Ranges in the southwestern Yukon Territory of Canada and eastern Alaska, U.S. The mountains extend southeast about 250 mi (400 km) from the Wrangell Mountains to Cross Sound along the Canada-U.S. border. Many peaks exceed 17,000 ft (5,200 km), including Mount St. Elias (18,008 ft [5,489 km]) and Mount Logan. In 1741 Vitus Bering sighted Mount St. Elias from his ship and became the first official European discoverer of northwestern America. The mountains contain the world's most extensive ice fields outside the polar ice caps. The southern end of the range forms part of Glacier Bay National Park.

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or Rockies

Mountain system, western North America. It extends some 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from the Mexican frontier to the Arctic Ocean, through the western U.S. and Canada. The highest peak in the U.S. Rockies is Mount Elbert in Colorado, at 14,433 ft (4,399 m); in the Canadian Rockies it is Mount Robson in British Columbia, at 12,972 ft (3,954 m). The Continental Divide, located in the mountains, separates rivers flowing to the east and to the west. Wildlife includes grizzly bear, brown bear, elk, bighorn sheep, and cougar. The area is rich in deposits of copper, iron ore, silver, gold, lead, zinc, phosphate, potash, and gypsum. Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton national parks in the U.S. are major recreational facilities.

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or Ozark Plateau

Heavily forested highlands, south-central U.S. Extending southwest from St. Louis to the Arkansas River, they occupy an area of about 50,000 sq mi (130,000 sq km) in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Kansas. Many of the highest peaks exceed 2,000 ft (600 m). Tourism is one of the region's chief industries. Lake of the Ozarks provides power and recreational facilities. The name Ozark probably derives from the French trading post, Aux Arc, established in the area in the 1700s.

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Segment of the Pacific Coast Ranges, northwestern Washington, U.S. The mountains extend across the Olympic Peninsula south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and west of Puget Sound within Olympic National Park. The chief peaks are Mount Olympus, at 7,965 ft (2,428 m), and Mount Constance, at 7,743 ft (2,360 m). There is heavy rainfall, creating rainforests dominated by Douglas fir and Sitka spruce. Some trees are nearly 300 ft (90 m) high and 8 ft (2.5 m) in diameter.

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Northwest section of the Front Range, in the central Rocky Mountains, U.S. Averaging a height of 10,000 ft (3,050 m), the mountains run southeast for about 100 mi (160 km) from Medicine Bow, Wyo., to Cameron Pass, Colo., just northwest of Rocky Mountain National Park. The highest summit, Medicine Bow Peak, reaches 12,014 ft (3,662 m). The name refers to the practices of local Indians, who collected wood for bows in the area and held ceremonial medicine dances.

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Range forming the Quebec portion of the Canadian Shield, bounded by the Ottawa, St. Lawrence, and Saguenay rivers. One of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, it consists of Precambrian rocks more than 544 million years old. It has greatly eroded over time, and its highest peak measures only 3,905 ft (1,190 m). Two provincial parks there are popular vacation areas.

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Mountain range, central Europe. It extends 225 mi (360 km) along the boundary of France and Switzerland. Its highest peak is Mount Neige, some 5,650 ft (1,700 m) high, located in France. Its western slopes are the source of the Doubs and Ain rivers in France.

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Mountain range, central Germany. Lying between the Weser and Elbe rivers, it is 60 mi (100 km) long and about 20 mi (32 km) wide. The northwestern and highest portion is known as the Oberharz, and the more extensive southeastern part is the Unterharz; the Brocken group, dividing the two, is considered part of the Oberharz. The highest peak is Mount Brocken. The Harz owes its early settlement and intensive development from the 10th to the 16th century to mining and metallurgy (silver, lead, iron, copper, and zinc). Its most important industry is tourism.

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National park, western Texas, U.S. Established in 1972, it occupies an area of 86,416 acres (34,998 hectares) east of El Paso. It is centred on two peaks: Guadalupe Peak, which reaches 8,751 ft (2,667 m), and El Capitan, which rises to 8,078 ft (2,462 m). The park is an area of great geologic interest, with a major Permian limestone fossil reef.

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Part of the Appalachian Mountains in the U.S. It extends for 250 mi (402 km) through the centre of Vermont and has a maximum width of 30 mi (50 km). Many peaks rise to more than 3,000 ft (900 m); the highest is Mount Mansfield at 4,393 ft (1,339 m). Known for their skiing facilities, the mountains are traversed by the Long Trail (part of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail). Green Mountains National Forest, which covers 214,000 acres (86,600 hectares), was established in 1932.

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Mountain group of the Appalachian mountain system, southeastern New York, U.S. It is bounded by the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. Many of its peaks reach 3,000 ft (900 m); the highest, Slide Mountain, reaches 4,204 ft (1,281 m). The area has many resorts, and its lakes supply New York City with water. The mountains were made famous through Washington Irving's stories of Rip Van Winkle, who supposedly took his long nap near the town of Catskill.

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Mountain range, northern Spain. The mountains, which extend about 180 mi (300 km), are geologically of similar origin to the Pyrenees, though classified as a separate formation. They include many tall peaks, the highest being Torre de Cerredo (8,787 ft, or 2,678 m), and thus form a more formidable barrier than the Pyrenees. The region is economically important for its coal and iron.

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Mountain range, eastern Jamaica. It extends from north of Kingston eastward 30 mi (50 km) to the Caribbean Sea. Its highest point is Blue Mountain Peak, at 7,388 ft (2,252 m). It experiences heavy rain and widely divergent temperatures. Blue Mountain coffee is famous for its excellent quality.

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Mountain range, southern Montana and northern Wyoming, U.S. It is a range of the northern Rocky Mountains extending 120 mi (193 km), rising abruptly 4,000–5,000 ft (1,200–1,500 m) above the Great Plains and Bighorn Basin. The highest summit is Wyoming's Cloud Peak, at 13,165 ft (4,013 m). Bighorn National Forest covers part of the range. On Medicine Mountain is the Medicine Wheel, a prehistoric stone-spoked circle 70 ft (20 m) in diameter.

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Bulgarian Stara Planina

Mountain range, southeastern Europe. It extends east to west across central Bulgaria from the Black Sea to the Serbian border; the highest point is Botev Peak, at 7,795 ft (2,376 m). The range forms the major divide between the Danube River in the north and the Maritsa River in the south. It is crossed by about 20 passes (notably Shipka Pass), several railway lines, and the Iskur River.

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Mountain system, northwestern Africa. It extends some 1,200 mi (2,000 km) from the Moroccan port of Agadir in the southwest to the Tunisian capital of Tunis in the northeast. It comprises several ranges, rising to various elevations, including the High Atlas in Morocco; the Tell, or Maritime, Atlas, which runs along the coast from Morocco to Tunisia; and the Saharan Atlas in Algeria, located farther inland and running adjacent to the Sahara. Among these ranges are situated numerous plateaus and plains that support diverse ecologies. The system's highest peak is Morocco's Mount Toubkal, elevation 13,665 ft (4,165 m).

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Mountain system, eastern North America. The Appalachians, among the oldest mountains on Earth, extend almost 2,000 mi (3,200 km) from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador in the northeast southwestward to Alabama in the U.S. They include the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Green Mountains in Vermont, the Catskill Mountains in New York, the Allegheny Mountains primarily in Pennsylvania, the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina, the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee, and the Cumberland Plateau extending from West Virginia to Alabama. Their highest peak is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. Seealso Appalachian Geosyncline; Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

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Russian Altay Chinese Altay Shan Mongol Altayn Nuruu

Mountain system, Central Asia. The range extends about 1,200 mi (2,000 km) in a southeast-northwest direction from the Gobi Desert to the West Siberian Plain, through parts of China, Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The highest point is the Russian peak Belukha, 14,783 ft (4,506 m) in elevation. The mountains are the source of the Irtysh and Ob rivers and are notable for their mining and hydroelectrical potential.

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Mountains in northeastern New York state, U.S. They extend south from the St. Lawrence River valley and Lake Champlain to the Mohawk River valley. The Adirondack region covers more than 6 million acres (2.4 million hectares). It has more than 40 summits higher than 4,000 ft (1,219 m); the tallest, Mount Marcy (5,344 ft [1,629 m]), is the state's highest. Samuel de Champlain became the first European to sight the Adirondacks in 1609. The area was sparsely settled when in 1892 the state legislature created Adirondack Park, which has grown over the years to become, at more than 5 million acres (2 million hectares), the largest U.S. state or national park outside of Alaska.

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The Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) is a long-distance trail that runs across North Carolina from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. The trail's western endpoint is at Clingman's Dome, where it connects to the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its eastern endpoint is in Jockey's Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. A recent addition to the trail is the Haw River Trail which begins at Haw River State Park in Guilford and Chatham Counties and continues to Cane Creek in southern Alamance County

Roughly 40% of the trail is complete, with several disconnected segments across the state.

The trail is a part of the North Carolina State Trails Program which is a section of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.

The segments of MST along the Blue Ridge Parkway were designated as National Recreation Trail in 2005.

The trail passes through:

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  
• Nantahala National Forest
  
• Pisgah National Forest
  
• The Blue Ridge Parkway
  
• Mount Mitchell State Park
  
• Stone Mountain State Park
  
• Pilot Mountain State Park
  
• Hanging Rock State Park
  
• Eno River State Park
  
• Falls Lake State Recreation Area
  
• Croatan National Forest
  
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore
  
• Jockey's Ridge State Park

External links

• Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail — Non-profit organization that maintains, builds and promotes the trail.
• North Carolina State Trails Program