In 1992, Evelyn and I visited New England. Our first stop was Baxter State Park in the north woods of Maine. We went on an arduous but rewarding day hike up Mt. Katahdin, Maine's highest mountain and the northern end of the Appalachian Trail. Later, as we cut across New Hampshire en route to a canoe trip in Vermont, we drove to the top of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire's highest peak. While we experienced the legendary winds atop Mt. Washington, Evelyn got a brilliant idea: whenever we visit a state, we could go to its highest point! That way we'd have an incentive to visit every state, plus we'd have a built-in outdoor excursion in our plans.
We visited our 50th highpoint (Black Mesa in Oklahoma) in 2021. Click on the name of the state for a trip report.
We're not the only people to have this idea. In fact, there is a state highpointers club that awards certificates to those who complete all fifty or various combinations of others by region. Click here to visit their Web site. Another site with valuable information for planning trips to the highpoints is Summit Post, which provides trail descriptions, trip reports, contact information, and much more.
| State | Peak | Height | Vertical Climb | Hiking Mileage | Difficulty |
| Alabama | Cheaha Mountain | 2,407 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Alaska | Mount McKinley | 20,320 | 24,500 | 46 | Everest-level expedition |
| Arizona | Humphreys Peak | 12,633 | 3,500 | 9 | Day hike |
| Arkansas | Mount Magazine (Signal Hill) | 2,753 | 225 | 1 | Short hike |
| California | Mount Whitney | 14,494 | 6,750 | 21.4 | Two-day trail hike |
| Colorado | Mount Elbert | 14,433 | 5,000 | 9 | Day hike |
| Connecticut | Frissell-S. Slope | 2,380 | 450 | 3.6 | Short hike |
| Delaware | Ebright Azimuth | 448 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Florida | Lakewood (Britton Hill) | 345 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Georgia | Brasstown Bald | 4,784 | 400 | 1 | Short walk |
| Hawaii | Mauna Kea | 13,796 | 230 | 0.4 | Drive-up |
| Idaho | Borah Peak | 12,662 | 5,550 | 6.8 | Strenuous day hike |
| Illinois | Charles Mound | 1,235 | 75 | 0.4 | Short walk |
| Indiana | Hoosier Hill | 1,257 | 20 | 0.1 | Short walk |
| Iowa | Hawkeye Point | 1,670 | 10 | 0.1 | Short walk |
| Kansas | Mount Sunflower | 4,039 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Kentucky | Black Mountain | 4,145 | - | 0.1 | Drive-up |
| Louisiana | Driskill Mountain | 535 | 150 | 1.8 | Short walk |
| Maine | Katahdin (Baxter Peak) | 5,267 | 4200 | 10.4 | Day hike |
| Maryland | Backbone Mountain | 3360 | 750 | 2.2 | Short walk |
| Massachusetts | Greylock | 3491 | 20 | 0.1 | Drive-up |
| Michigan | Mount Arvon | 1,979 | 300 | 2 | Short hike |
| Minnesota | Eagle Mountain | 2,301 | 600 | 7 | Short hike |
| Mississippi | Woodall Mountain | 806 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Missouri | Taum Sauk | 1,772 | 30 | 0.4 | Short hike |
| Montana | Granite Peak | 12,799 | 7,700 | 22.2 | Strenuous backpack |
| Nebraska | Panorama Point | 5,424 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Nevada | Boundary Peak | 13,143 | 4400 | 7.4 | Strenuous day hike |
| New Hampshire | Mount Washington | 6,288 | 20 | 0.1 | Drive-up |
| New Jersey | High Point | 1,803 | 40 | 0.2 | Drive-up |
| New Mexico | Wheeler Peak | 13,161 | 3250 | 6.2 | Day hike |
| New York | Mount Marcy | 5344 | 3200 | 14.8 | Day hike |
| North Carolina | Mount Mitchell | 6684 | 100 | 0.2 | Drive-up |
| North Dakota | White Butte | 3,506 | 400 | 2 | Short hike |
| Ohio | Campbell Hill | 1,550 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Oklahoma | Black Mesa | 4,973 | 775 | 8.6 | Day hike |
| Oregon | Mount Hood | 11,239 | 5300 | 8 | Glacier climb |
| Pennsylvania | Mount Davis | 3,213 | - | 0 | Drive-up |
| Rhode Island | Jerimoth Hill | 812 | 25 | 0.6 | Short walk |
| South Carolina | Sassafras Mountain | 3,560 | 30 | 0.2 | Short walk |
| South Dakota | Black Elk Peak (n�e Harney Peak) | 7,242 | 1,500 | 5.8 | Day hike |
| Tennessee | Clingmans Dome | 6,643 | 330 | 1 | Short walk |
| Texas | Guadalupe Peak | 8,749 | 2950 | 8.4 | Day hike |
| Utah | Kings Peak | 13528 | 5350 | 28.8 | Two-day backpack |
| Vermont | Mount Mansfield | 4393 | 550 | 2.8 | Short hike |
| Virginia | Mount Rogers | 5,729 | 1500 | 8.6 | Day hike |
| Washington | Mount Rainier | 14,411 | 9100 | 16 | Two-day glacier climb |
| West Virginia | Spruce Knob | 4,863 | 20 | 0.4 | Drive-up |
| Wisconsin | Timms Hill | 1,951 | 130 | 0.4 | Short walk |
| Wyoming | Gannett Peak | 13,804 | 8,650 | 46 | Multi-day backpack |