Tallest Mountains in North America

North America’s topography is defined by staggering vertical relief, with its highest summits concentrated primarily in the rugged northwest and the volcanic heart of Mexico. The continent is crowned by Denali in Alaska, which stands at an awe-inspiring 20,310 feet, making it the highest point in North America and one of the world’s most prominent isolated peaks. Beyond the frozen giants of the Alaska Range and the Saint Elias Mountains in the Yukon, the continent’s most significant elevations are found in the Cordillera Neovolcánica of Mexico, home to massive stratovolcanoes like Pico de Orizaba. From the glaciated massifs of the subarctic to the high-altitude volcanic cones of the south, these peaks represent the ultimate challenge for mountaineers and the apex of the continent’s diverse geological history.

Top 20 Highest Peaks in North America

Rank	Peak	Elevation	Country / Location
1	Denali	20,310 ft	🇺🇸 USA (Alaska)
2	Mount Logan	19,551 ft	🇨🇦 Canada (Yukon)
3	Pico de Orizaba	18,491 ft	🇲🇽 Mexico (Puebla)
4	Mount Saint Elias	18,009 ft	🇺🇸/🇨🇦 USA/Canada
5	Volcán Popocatépetl	17,749 ft	🇲🇽 Mexico
6	Mount Foraker	17,400 ft	🇺🇸 USA (Alaska)
7	Mount Lucania	17,257 ft	🇨🇦 Canada (Yukon)
8	Volcán Iztaccíhuatl	17,160 ft	🇲🇽 Mexico
9	King Peak	16,972 ft	🇨🇦 Canada (Yukon)
10	Mount Bona	16,550 ft	🇺🇸 USA (Alaska)
11	Mount Steele	16,470 ft	🇨🇦 Canada (Yukon)
12	Mount Blackburn	16,390 ft	🇺🇸 USA (Alaska)
13	Mount Sanford	16,237 ft	🇺🇸 USA (Alaska)
14	Mount Wood	15,945 ft	🇨🇦 Canada (Yukon)
15	Mount Vancouver	15,787 ft	🇨🇦 Canada (Yukon)
16	Mount Slaggard	15,558 ft	🇨🇦 Canada (Yukon)
17	Nevado de Toluca	15,387 ft	🇲🇽 Mexico
18	Mount Fairweather	15,325 ft	🇺🇸/🇨🇦 USA/Canada
19	Sierra Negra	15,059 ft	🇲🇽 Mexico
20	Mount Hubbard	14,951 ft	🇺🇸/🇨🇦 USA/Canada

Notable Geographic Context

The “Alaskan” Dominance: You’ll notice that not a single mountain from the contiguous United States (the “Lower 48”) makes the top 20. For comparison, Mount Whitney in California—the highest in the Lower 48—stands at 14,505 ft, which would place it at #24 on a full North American list.
Border Peaks: Several of these mountains, like Mount Saint Elias and Mount Fairweather, actually sit directly on the international border between the U.S. and Canada.
The Saint Elias Range: This specific mountain range is home to more than half of the peaks on this list, making it the highest coastal mountain range in the world.