My Five Favorite Summit Views

While looking through my pictures the other day, I realized I have really had a unique opportunity to see some amazing summit views. I thought collecting them all here would be a great way to not only show others what my five favorite views were, but encourage them to do the same. If you post your five favorite summit views and the pictures associated to them and let me know I will add a link to your post at the bottom of this post (no spammy sites please). So with that said here are my 5 favorite summit views so far.

Josh’s Five Favorite Summit Views

5. Angel’s Landing

This crazy mountain right in the middle of Zion was one of the most terrifying hikes I have ever been on. Many in the party I went with turned around at the flat before the cables, and I didn’t blame them for a second, it was a nuts push to the summit. Combine that with cables, very small rock pathways with 1,000 foot drops on each side and you can know you are at least in for a story. All of that faints in comparison to the epicness of the summit view though, seeing the canyon from this vantage point makes it completely worth it and an easy spot on my list.

4. Mt Baldy

While one of the easier on the list, as you can take a ski lift and get out of like four of the ten miles, Mt Baldy is one of the only hikes I actually repeat. There is something about the beauty and the vastness of what you can see from the summit of the 10,000 foot peak in Southern California that makes it an amazing adventure.

3. Half Dome

Like Angel’s Landing, this summit really took all I had to both climb it in one day and overcome my fears enough to make it up the cables. I cannot state how much crazier the cables are in real life than in pictures but I digress. The view from this summit of one of the most iconic rocks in the world is awe-inspiring. I sat on the top taking it in for at least 45 minutes as I had seen Yosemite so many times but had never seen it like this.

2. Lassen Peak

This is the easiest on the list in straight miles but the hardest to do cause of the trail construction which makes it open only like 2 or 3 weekends a year most years. When it is fully open though it will be an amazing summit that pretty much anyone can take down if they take their time. The view from the top is ridiculous as well, you can see massive valleys and Shasta off in the distance. It is one of the peaks that gave me my fever for more.

1. Mt Whitney

How can I not include this on my list? It was the peak that took the most planning and training for me and it is the tallest mountain in the continental United States. The view from the top really does seem fake as you are so high above Lone Pine below and all of the high altitude lakes just spot the landscape with a unique view. It also helped that it was a perfect day when we were on top (other than the wind).

So there are my top five summit views, now we move on to Zac’s

Zac’s Five Favorite Summit Views

Mt Whitney

Mt Whitney is the most iconic peak in the Contiguous United States, the views are amazing, it’s a great achievement, one of those trips you tell your grand kids about. The views and elements of nature at that elevation are unreal and truly an amazing trip.

Mt San Jacinto

One of my favorite peaks in Southern California, Mt San Jacinto has amazing contrasting views of the desert and the forest. I have hiked it from almost every trail and each is wonderful and unique in its own way, which makes hiking and sitting on top of this peak special and makes me want to keep hiking it.

Sentinel Dome

Many people pass up this easy hike in an effort to hit the big ones in Yosemite, we stumbled upon it a guide-book and decided to check it out. It has some of the most amazing views of Yosemite falls, Half dome and the valley I have seen. After a full day of hiking and exploring Yosemite this was the perfect way to end the day, plus the elevation is only a couple hundred feet shorter than Half Dome.

Telescope Peak

One of my more memorable trips is Josh and I setting out in the Jeep to Death Valley and taking down this epic peak. The contrast of the areas of this peak, the views of Badwater and Mt Whitney blow your mind. There is no other peak I have been at the top of with the variety of views and prominence (Badwater is almost double the distance below you then when you stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon).

Lassen Peak

Who does not like standing at the top of a volcano? Lassen Peak is such a cool peak because ‘ dormant volcano and you can literally hike to the top, stand within volcanic rock and see Mt Shasta in the distance, amazing cool factor and an easy last peak on my list.

So there you have it, Zac and I’s favorite summit views. Like I said above, if you have a blog post your five favorite views and I will make sure to update this post with a link. If you do not have a blog, sound off in the comments with what your favorite is.