Mountain Identifier
What is peak bagging, and how do you start?
Peak bagging is collecting summits from a defined list: every 4,000-footer in New Hampshire, every Munro in Scotland, every state highpoint. You climb one, tick it off, and pick the next. To start, choose a list close to home that matches your fitness, learn how it defines a summit, and keep a log of what you've climbed.
How it works
A peak bagging list is a fixed set of summits defined by a rule: everything above a height, everything in a range, or the highest point of every state or county. You work through it at your own pace, often over years. The appeal is partly the tick list and partly where it takes you: lists send you up summits you'd never have picked, and to corners of a region you'd otherwise drive past.
Popular lists to start with
| List | Where | Summits | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| NH 48 (AMC Four Thousand Footers) | New Hampshire | 48 | 4,000 ft and up, with at least 200 ft of rise from the saddle |
| Adirondack 46 | New York | 46 | Peaks originally surveyed as 4,000 ft or more |
| Colorado fourteeners | Colorado | 53 ranked, 58 named | 14,000 ft and up; "ranked" needs 300 ft of prominence |
| US state highpoints | All 50 states | 50 | The highest point in each state |
| Munros | Scotland | 282 | Over 3,000 ft, decided by the Scottish Mountaineering Club |
| Wainwrights | English Lake District | 214 | The fells in Alfred Wainwright's seven guidebooks |
State highpoints are a good example of why lists vary so much in effort: Florida's is a 345 ft rise in a park, while Denali in Alaska is a serious expedition. Most people finish the easy ones first and decide later about the hard ones.
How lists decide what counts
Every list has to answer one awkward question: when is a bump on a ridge a separate summit? Most use prominence, the height a summit rises above the saddle connecting it to a higher one. The NH 48 uses 200 ft; Colorado's ranked fourteeners use 300 ft. Others, like the Munros, are decided by a club's judgment, which is why the Munro count has changed several times over the years. The mountain-versus-hill question runs into the same problem.
Getting started safely
- Pick a list near home so you can learn on short days.
- Read the route for each summit in a current guidebook or the land manager's site. Trail conditions, permits and seasonal closures change.
- Learn basic navigation. Many listed summits are off-trail or viewless. Our map and compass guide is a good place to start.
- Carry the essentials for the conditions, and turn back when the weather or the clock says so. The summit will still be on the list next year.
- Keep a log from the first peak: date, route and who you were with. It's the record clubs ask for, and the part you'll enjoy later.
Logging summits in Mountain Identifier: Peaks
The app's passport is a natural log for this. Every peak you add gets a stamp with its photo and date, and the passport counts your peaks, countries and ranges, your highest summit, and the total of your logged elevations expressed in "Everests". Badges mark milestones from your first peak to your hundredth, plus ones for reaching 4,000 m and for each continent. A bucket list holds the summits you're planning.
Logging peaks by hand, the passport, badges and bucket list are free (up to 5 peaks; more needs Pro). Identifying peaks with the live camera view, which also lets you log a summit straight from its label, is part of Pro. The app doesn't keep official club lists, so keep your club's records too.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good first peak bagging list?
One you can drive to and finish in a few seasons. Regional lists like the Catskill 3500 or a county's highest hills work well. Bigger lists like the NH 48 or the Adirondack 46 are popular second projects once you know your pace.
Do you have to stand on the exact summit?
By most list keepers' rules, yes: you reach the highest point, not a nearby viewpoint. Some summits are on private land or wooded and viewless, which is part of the fun. Check the list's own rules, since some clubs require a summit register signature or photo.
Is peak bagging the same as mountaineering?
No. Most lists are hiking objectives with no technical climbing. Some, like the Colorado fourteeners or the Munros' Inaccessible Pinnacle, include scrambles or rope sections. Read the route description for each peak before you go.
How do peak baggers keep track?
Many use a notebook or spreadsheet. Sites such as peakbagger.com let you log ascents against thousands of lists, and clubs like the Appalachian Mountain Club issue certificates when you finish theirs.
Point your phone at it
Mountain Identifier: Peaks labels the peaks in your camera view with name, elevation and distance, and hides the ones a nearer ridge blocks. Free to download; identification is part of Pro.
Last reviewed 2026-10-09. Peak data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Related guides
What is mountain prominence?
Prominence measures how much a summit stands on its own: the drop to the saddle linking it to higher ground. Examples, how lists use it, and why data is thin.
Read the guide →What's the difference between a mountain, a hill and a peak?
There's no official height that makes a hill a mountain. What the USGS says, the old 1,000 ft rule, the UN's working definition, and where peak and summit fit in.
Read the guide →How do you identify a mountain with a map and compass?
Take a bearing to the peak, correct for declination, draw the line on a topo map, then check distance and height. A step-by-step method that works with no battery.
Read the guide →