In your experience, where are the biggest, most rugged mountains?

[ColeyG]

The deepest gorge in North America is Hells Canyon.

If you think West Virginia turkey hunting is more difficult than packing bulls out of Hells Canyon,…then you clearly haven’t done both.

dave

Fun fact. The deepest gorge in North America is the great gorge of the Ruth Glacier in the Alaska Range with roughly 9700' feet of relief from the top of Mount Dickey to the bottom of the gorge. Hells is the deepest river canyon on the continent with roughly 8k of relief.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

The original question was “big and rugged.” To me rugged means something virtually unclimbable without proper gear and experience. Big to me means seemingly endless vast peaks.

To answer “big” you have to go with the heart of the Rockies in Colorado and the sheer number of big peaks towering 13,000 and 14,000+.

For rugged it’s the northern cascades in the lower 48 and it’s really not even close until you get into Alaska.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I’ve hunted mtn goats with a bow and packed out elk through deadfall infested canyons but nothing is worse in my book than bushwhacking it through cat claw and yucca infested southern Arizona mtns.

It’s a different kind of rugged down here. Ocotillo, Yuca, Cat Claw, barrel cactus, and everything else that tries to reach out and grab you. Everything sticks to you and you have to plan routes up and down the mountains accordingly.

I’d still take trekking up a cactus infested mountain or canyon over trying to ice climb a glacier ridge. I’ve done both, give me that sunshine and cactus any day over clouds and ice.

 

[Scoot]

"In the USA, but outside of Alaska" actually makes sense....

Yes, it does! However, that's not what I meant... Two of the earliest guesses were the Himalayas and somewhere in New Zealand.

 

[idahodave]

Fun fact. The deepest gorge in North America is the great gorge of the Ruth Glacier in the Alaska Range with roughly 9700' feet of relief from the top of Mount Dickey to the bottom of the gorge. Hells is the deepest river canyon on the continent with roughly 8k of relief.

Agree to disagree I guess…?

Google “deepest gorge in North America” and see what pops up…repeatedly.

Hint…it’s Hells Canyon.

 

[william schmaltz]

Agree to disagree I guess…?

Google “deepest gorge in North America” and see what pops up…repeatedly.

Hint…it’s Hells Canyon.

It may come down to what a certain search engine's criterion for a gorge is I guess. The Ruth Gorge is filled with 4,000 feet of ice and +5,000 ft walls from the glacier's surface so I guess it wouldn't be the largest open gorge. But the numbers are what they are.

 

[idahodave]

It may come down to what a certain search engine's criterion for a gorge is I guess. The Ruth Gorge is filled with 4,000 feet of ice and +5,000 ft walls from the glacier's surface so I guess it wouldn't be the largest open gorge. But the numbers are what they are.

That makes sense.

 

[hunter4life]

In my personal experience which is mainly the southern Rockies, I think Colorado would fit the bill for the Lower 48. I would rate the Needles in the San Juans, the Sangre de Cristos or the Raggeds around Crested Butte all about the same. I have limited experience in Idaho, Montana or Washington.

Internationally I have a bit of experience and for sheer ruggedness I would throw out the Caucasus in Azerbaijan. Definitely more rugged than anything I saw and hiked in New Zealand. For sheer size, the Tian Shan in Kazakhstan were vast and looked to extend forever in the distance. Will be heading to Nepal for blue sheep next year, so I will probably have a new top of the list at that point.

 

[JP100]

you guys know the Himalaya exist right??........haha

By definition, they win....

 

[Haro450]

My worst experience is the Frank church. Old burn with blow down a foot re-prod and 12 inches of snow.

Also covering miles on the open alaska tundra.

 

[Customweld]

My worst experience is the Frank church. Old burn with blow down a foot re-prod and 12 inches of snow.

Also covering miles on the open alaska tundra.

The FCW has demoralized me on more than one occasion.

 

[sneaky]

you guys know the Himalaya exist right??........haha

By definition, they win....

You realize they aren't in the USA, right? That was the question lol

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[Grundy53]

you guys know the Himalaya exist right??........haha

By definition, they win....

Not if you read the OP...

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[ozyclint]

you guys know the Himalaya exist right??........haha

By definition, they win....

I once hiked up to the Hillary step after seeing a nice bull tahr on the ridge above it. Didn't look that far from where I was at base camp. By the time I got there 3 days later he was gone. Probably a good thing.....I was dreading that pack out.

 

[WYcoyote]

Probably not in the top 10 but this is in the Absaroka Mtns in NW Wyoming. A few rugged spots around.