Any mountain can look impressive in a photo because of its massive size and beauty. However, there’s a select group of mountains that have celebrity status.
We’ve put together a list of mountains that are famous for their epic climbing history, unique shape, rich mythology, and/or impressive size. Perhaps not so surprisingly, many of these famous mountains double as volcanoes. (There’s nothing like the threat of an eruption to catch people’s attention.) All of them look awesome in photos.
If you’re into mountaineering and photography, then these 22 mountains should definitely be on your bucket list:
1. Mount Everest
Himalayas, Nepal/China
Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn) — Tibet Mount Everest
Dezign Horizon — Mount Everest
2. Mount Fuji
Honshu Island, Japan
Reginald Pentinio — Fuji in Monochrome
3. Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
Stefan Hellberg — Kilimanjaro – Shira Camp – Tanzania
4. K2
Karakoram Range, Pakistan/China
5. Denali
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
Gregory “Slobirdr” Smith — Denali & Wonder Lake
6. Mont Blanc
Alps, Italy/France
Tristan ‘Shu’ Lebeschu — Le Mont Blanc
Andy PARANT — Turn ahead Monte Bianco
7. Kirkjufell
Grundarfjörður, Iceland
Ævar Guðmundsson — Kirkjufellsfoss
8. Mount Fitz Roy
Patagonia, Argentina/Chile
Geoff Livingston — Mount Fitz Roy Sunrise
Geoff Livingston — Patagonia Landscape w/ Mount Fitz Roy
9. Annapurna
Himalayas, Nepal
Vera & Jean-Christophe — Prayer flags at the Annapurna Basecamp
10. Mount Olympus
Olympus Range, Greece
Nikos Koutoulas — Olympus mountain
Jim Trodel — Nature – Mount Olympus, Greece
11. Mount Hua
Five Great Mountains, China
Dimitry B. — Sunrise on Mount Hua, China
12. Aoraki/Mount Cook
Southern Alps, New Zealand
13. Mount Elbrus
Caucasus Mountains, Russia
Konstantin Malanchev — Morning Elbrus
Dmitry Sumin — Sunrise. Mt. Elbrus base camp.
14. Popocatépetl
Puebla/Morelos, Mexico
Angel Morales Rizo — POPOCATEPETL
15. Matterhorn
Alps, Switzerland/Italy
16. El Capitan
Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Anita Ritenour — Moonrise Over the Merced
17. Grand Teton
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, United States
Zach Dischner — Teton Moonlit Shred
18. Licancabur
Andes, Chile/Bolivia
krheesy — Licancabur, Atacama desert, Chile
19. Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Alps, Italy
Jon Shave — Drei zinnen/ Tre Cime di Lavaredo
John Fowler — Auronzo di Cadore, Italy
20. Ben Nevis
Scotland, United Kingdom
martin_vmorris — Summit of Ben Nevis
Richard P J Lambert — Ben Nevis, Scotland
21. Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, United States
Jonathan Miske — Rainier Under Clouds