Nastiest Mountain Ranges in North America

[BeastOfTheTrees]

Needle Range in Colorado

Interesting. I’ve been to the San Juan’s near the clamshell and quartz ridge trail but never the Needles.

 

[*zap*]

Tagged.

 

[ianpadron]

The Frank Church/Gospel Hump Wilderness Complex in ID is pretty F'n nasty. Not much flat ground anywhere back there in my experience.

The North Central Cascades here in WA state are as gnarly as any country I've been in. Straight up and straight down, super rocky and rugged up high, and wet for 90% of the year. You don't hear about it much because not many guys hunt it aside from the locals.

 

[TravisIN]

I’ve only spent time in the sangres, so do you guys who have seen a lot more country, how do the sangres compare? Assuming less nasty since they haven’t been mentioned but just curious is to how much less.


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[BeastOfTheTrees]

I’ve only spent time in the sangres, so do you guys who have seen a lot more country, how do the sangres compare? Assuming less nasty since they haven’t been mentioned but just curious is to how much less.


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I’ll be in the sangres in 3 weeks..... I was wondering if they’d be mentioned on here. I only camped in them for a night and it turned into almost a survival situation lol

 

[tttoadman]

Another vote for the Oregon central and north cascades. Lots of roadless area. Trails are nonexistent or the man made trails are consumed by the forest very quickly. You can get cliffed out very easily and it is frustrating because you can’t see where you are going. At every canyon bottom is a roaring creek that is just the right size where you question to cross or not and how to do it without going in the drink.

 

[Elk97]

North Cascades (west side) in WA. Anywhere there is a lot of blow down (W side of the Crazies, MT).

 

[Dustin the wind]

The cold rainy jungles in the coast ranges and Cascades of OR and WA are pretty bad if you just walk out into national forest, disorienting and grueling just physically pushing through vegetation. If you are totally lost then that is a bad place to be. But for climbing and pure physical effort has to be a few places in the rockies.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Baron Pass, Sawtooths...fun stuff

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Snake Range, eastern Nevada, 13,000 ft....

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Descending from the peak of Mt. Hood to the crater:



And one from the bottom:

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Personal favorite, Kenai Range:

 

[sam hill]

Growing up hiking and hunting the Rockies and then moving to the West coast, I have to agree with the
Coast ranges that go from the N.W US thru B.C and Alaska as tough, and nasty to hike/hunt in.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Bear tooth,

 

[Trytokillme]

Cool

Yeaap )

 

[MtGomer]

Chugach and the Absaroka Beartooth have the gnarliest terrain I’ve been in.
Some of the drainages in the Chugach are completely enclosed in cliff and glacier and have no way out, except back down to the mouth, and around the face. And others only via supercub.
I’d put the alders in the bottoms up against the brush the coastal L48 ranges have.

There are places in the Beartooth that are no joke either. Hours of boulder hopping at 11k feet.

 

[mlgc20]

Another vote for the Cascades in Central Oregon. The brush can be ridiculously thick and often steep as well.

 

[Oregonboy]

I'd vote for the coastal mountains of Oregon and Washington. Ridiculously thick, always wet no matter what time of year, impossible to hear anything more than 70 feet away from you, no glassing opportunities and very easy to get lost.

 

[FLAK]

Hey, that "M" Hike in Bozeman aint no joke!!!

 

[Poser]

Not going to claim roughest in North America, but the San Juans reign supreme in Colorado.