Final fall, the operating world was in awe of Kilian Jornet’s 2025 States of Elevation Undertaking. It was astounding within the sheer distance and elevation he coated over the course of 31 days, as he summited 72 of the 14,000-plus-foot (4,267 meters) peaks (14ers) within the decrease 48 states of the U.S.
Kilian Jornet tops out Handies Peak in Colorado throughout his 2025 States of Elevation venture. Picture: Nick Danielson
Whereas the space and elevation of his journey are troublesome to understand on a human degree, what’s equally fascinating is the number of terrain he traversed as he moved by way of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington. He handed by way of a number of nationwide parks, many mountain ranges, two distinct deserts, infinite forests, and an enormous variety of ecosystems, from desert to alpine. Jornet’s venture may be seen by way of the lens of distance, elevation, and the capabilities of the human physique, or as an exploration — and celebration — of the terrain of the American West.
On this article, we’ll dive into some maps and discover the distinctive geography of the decrease 48 states in additional element, framed by way of Jornet’s States of Elevation venture. The three.12 million sq. miles (8.08 million sq. kilometers) of the decrease 48 are dwelling to a variety of various ecosystems, biomes, and geographical options. The realm’s huge dimension, vital longitudinal span, and diverse topography lend themselves to a plethora of geographies, as proven within the Geological Society of America map beneath.
A geologic map of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Picture: Geological Society of America. Public area by way of Wikimedia Commons.
States of Elevation Overview
Jornet’s well-publicized States of Elevation venture in 2025 was a feat in human endurance, mountain operating, and planning. Beginning on September 3, he linked 72 of the 14ers within the contiguous U.S in a human-powered vogue — on foot and bike — with a assist crew following him and serving to with logistics. He began with the 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Colorado, then went on to California and north to Washington, ending on the 14,410-foot Mount Rainier. He did this over 31 days, an unimaginable show of bodily and psychological fortitude. In response to his watch, he was in movement for almost 489 hours over this month-long span, which is sort of 16 hours per day! Jornet coated 3,197 miles (5,145 kilometers) and climbed 403,690 ft (123,045 meters). He summited all however two of the 14ers within the U.S.’s decrease 48 states, skipping two positioned on non-public land in Colorado.
Kilian Jornet’s States of Elevation route, from Colorado to Washington. Picture courtesy of NNormal.
As an alternative of writing intimately about all of the stats concerned on this venture — which has been completed a number of instances — this text appears at what impressed Jornet to tackle this venture: the panorama.
Jornet stated, “It’s about exploring the American West, the vastness of the terrain and the cultures which have lived and proceed to stay there, in addition to a nature that’s usually wild and extremely numerous, starting from alpine areas to dense forests and deserts. I’m excited to discover these new locations.”
By way of maps and Jornet’s venture, we’ll discover the decrease 48 and rejoice the wild, numerous, and awe-inspiring nature discovered within the contiguous U.S.
The 14ers
A 14er is outlined as a mountain peak that rises to a minimum of 14,000 ft above sea degree. There may be some debate over what constitutes a singular peak when it comes to prominence relative to its neighbors, however we’ll go together with the numbers Jornet used.
Meghan Hicks of iRunFar descends La Plata Peak, a 14er within the Sawatch Vary, throughout her 2020 Nolan’s 14 quickest identified time. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Of the 14ers on public land within the contiguous U.S., 56 are in Colorado, 15 are in California, and one is in Washington. Nearly all of these mountains are discovered within the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, with a number of massive clusters within the Sawatch — dwelling of the Nolan’s 14 route — San Juan, Elk, and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. In California, there are 13 peaks clustered within the Japanese Sierra, with the traverse between them referred to as the Norman’s 13 route. Moreover, there may be White Mountain Peak within the White Mountains of the Inyo Nationwide Forest, and Mount Shasta additional north within the Cascade Vary. Mount Rainier, the one peak in Washington, can also be a part of the Cascades, which stretch from Northern California throughout Oregon and into Washington and British Columbia, Canada.
Elevations of the U.S.
Wanting past particular person peaks, there are a number of main mountain ranges within the U.S. The most important ones are the Appalachian Mountains within the east, the Rocky Mountains stretching from Montana to New Mexico, and the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges close to the West Coast. Every vary has notable lengthy trails operating by way of it: the Appalachian Path, Continental Divide Path, and Pacific Crest Path, respectively. Ultrarunners have taken to quickest identified time (FKT) efforts on these premier trails, with runs equivalent to Tara Dower’s 2024 total supported FKT on the Appalachian Path and Karel Sabbe’s 2023 males’s supported FKT on the PCT celebrated within the path operating and ultrarunning communities.
A lot of the mountains within the U.S. exist within the western portion of the nation. Picture: Mapswire, CC BY 4.0
An elevation map of the U.S. reveals that the higher-elevation areas are within the western half of the US. Fortunately for Jornet, there are not any 14ers within the east — in any other case he would have had a really lengthy cross-country journey to get between them! Except for the key ranges, there are a number of different smaller ranges all through the nation, together with the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, the Iron Vary of Minnesota, and others.
Nationwide Parks
Jornet’s States of Elevation Undertaking began and resulted in nationwide parks. Longs Peak is positioned in Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park in Colorado, and Mount Rainier is inside Mount Rainier Nationwide Park in Washington. He additionally handed by or by way of Mesa Verde Nationwide Park in Colorado, Grand Canyon Nationwide Park in Arizona, and Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon Nationwide Parks in California.
Jornet climbs Mount Rainier in Washington, the ultimate peak of his States of Elevation Undertaking, in Mount Rainier Nationwide Park. Picture: Nick Danielson
The Nationwide Park Service was established to preserve and defend distinctive pure landscapes, and the parks embody a few of the most gorgeous surroundings and pure wonders within the space. Yellowstone Nationwide Park, established in 1872, was the primary park created by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. On the time, it protected greater than two million acres of land.
The Nationwide Park Service presently contains 63 parks. Of those, 51 are within the decrease 48 states. The states with the very best variety of parls are California (9), Alaska (8), Utah (5), and Colorado (4). The landscapes in these parks vary from desert to excessive plain to cavernous canyons to rainforests.
Along with the nationwide parks, the Nationwide Park Service additionally has jurisdiction over nationwide monuments, nationwide historic websites, nationwide rivers, nationwide recreation websites, and extra.
The U.S. Nationwide Park Service’s items, together with nationwide parks, monuments, scenic trails, historic websites, and extra. Picture: U.S. Nationwide Park Service
[Editor’s Note: To see a larger version of the above map, please visit the National Park Service website here.]
Ecosystems and Landscapes
Given the latitudinal and elevational variations throughout the U.S., the landscapes from state to state — and even inside states — can differ considerably. All through his journey, Jornet traveled from excessive alpine peaks with minimal vegetation to deep forests teeming with life to huge deserts the place solely probably the most drought-resistant crops thrive.
Throughout the decrease 48, there are infinite sorts of ecosystems, from the coniferous forests of the East Coast to the Nice Plains within the Midwest to the excessive desert of Colorado and Utah to the stereotypical cactus-studded deserts of the Southwest to the evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest. Every ecosystem has its distinctive plant and animal life, particularly tailored to the circumstances at hand.
Deserts
One of many notable options of Jornet’s States of Elevation was that he rode his bike between the peaks. The primary prolonged commute was between the Colorado peaks and people of California’s Sierra Nevada. To cross this distance, Jornet rode from Colorado, by way of a little bit of southern Utah, northern Arizona, and the southern tip of Nevada earlier than arriving in California. On his journey, he handed by way of elements of each the Nice Basin Desert in Utah and Arizona, and the Mojave Desert in Nevada.
The deserts of the U.S. Southwest. Picture: ConservationIntl, CC BY-SA 4.0
The 4 fundamental desert ecosystems in North America — which additionally embody the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts additional south — are characterised by their low precipitation, creating environments the place crops and animals have tailored to the dry circumstances. Deserts might primarily be identified for his or her warmth, however all however the Sonoran Desert have chilly winters, with freezing temperatures throughout the winter months additional limiting plant and animal life. The Sonoran Desert has a hotter subtropical local weather than the others, permitting succulents to thrive.
Whereas Jornet benefited from the fashionable conveniences of getting a assist crew supplying him with water throughout the lengthy stretches throughout the desert, the animals and crops that decision these areas dwelling have discovered to do with out easy accessibility to water.
Jornet will get aero whereas driving throughout the desert between Colorado and California. Picture: Nick Danielson
Forests
Forests are the quintessential wild locations within the U.S., and a couple of third of the landmass of the decrease 48 states is roofed in them. Most of the areas Jornet traveled by way of in Colorado are forests, and far of his journey by way of California, Oregon, and Washington was in forests. Animals, bugs, and crops of every kind inhabit and thrive in these lands.
Forested areas may be primarily categorized into three groupings. Deciduous forests, discovered all through the japanese U.S., are well-known for his or her fall colours, with oaks, maples, and hickories. Coniferous forests are dwelling to huge Douglas firs, and the coastal space between central California and southern Oregon is understood for its redwoods. Temperate rainforests are high-precipitation zones in Southeast Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
Timber within the temperate rainforests of the U.S.’s Pacific Northwest. Picture: Zander Chase
North America is dwelling to the biggest temperate rainforest on the planet, which stretches from Northern California to Alaska on the West Coast. The Pacific temperate rainforests have average climates between 50 and 75 levels Fahrenheit (10 to 24 levels Celsius), and a few areas obtain greater than 10 ft (3.3 meters) of annual precipitation. The plush forests on the Olympic Peninsula within the Quinault, Queets, Hoh, and Bogachiel valleys are spectacular examples of primeval temperate rain forests within the decrease 48 states.
In complete, there are 154 particular person nationwide forest areas within the U.S., and the U.S. Forest Service manages greater than 193 million acres.
Spirit of Exploration
The U.S. is dwelling to a few of the most unimaginable wild locations on the planet, and a visit doesn’t must be close to the magnitude of Jornet’s States of Elevation so as to discover them. For many individuals, there’s a forest, mountain, desert, or nationwide park close by that holds numerous treasures and particular locations. Exploring these landscapes on foot is a magical option to get to know them. Whether or not it’s by way of a self-supported journey or a path race, there may be a lot to see.
For me, the exploration spark actually began whereas residing in Washington state. I noticed that backpacking was a good way to expertise the North Cascades, the Olympic Peninsula, the Hoh Rain Forest, the Wonderland Path, and a lot extra. Discovering operating simply made it simpler and sooner.
No matter the place you reside, operating generally is a mechanism to see the number of geographical options, from the Inexperienced Mountains of Vermont to the dramatic canyons in Zion to the redwoods of the California coast. It’s an enormous world on the market, and I’m excited to listen to the place each Kilian Jornet and all of you’ll be exploring subsequent.
iRunFar’s Meghan Hicks fastpacking in a chilly Utah canyon within the Nice Basin Desert. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
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