Can You Name Idaho’s Three Tallest Mountains?

If you didn't grow up in Idaho, you probably didn't study the area's geography much more than a basic overview. If you did grow up in Idaho, naming the three tallest mountains in the Gem State is probably pretty easy. Idaho has several more mountain ranges than other mountain states. For example, Colorado boasts 15 different ranges, Oregon has 50, Washington has 64, Utah has 80, but Idaho has 114. Out of the fifty states, that ranks us third, behind Wyoming and Nevada.

While Idaho has so many mountains, we don't even come close to the tallest ones. There are no "14ers," mountain peaks that reach over 14,000 feet, or "13ers," mountains that reach 13,000 feet here, but we do have several "12ers," which isn't really a term. Four of Idaho's mountains get over 12,000 feet. One of the more unique features of our Idaho mountains is that our tallest peak is growing!

#3 - Diamond Peak
Diamond Peak is in the Lemhi Range. The peak itself is located about four and a half hours north-east of Boise, mostly on Highway 20. Diamond Peak is 12,202 feet.

#2 - Leatherman Peak
Leatherman Peak is in the Lost River Range. It's about an hour closer to Boise than Diamond Peak is. Three and a half hours northeast of Boise, again using Highway 20. Leatherman Peak is 12,228 feet.

#1 - Borah Peak
Borah Peak is the tallest point in the state of Idaho. It stands at 12,662 feet, which is one foot more than it was in 1983 before an earthquake added to its height. That earthquake also lowered the elevation of the rest of the Lost River Range by nearly eight feet! To get to Borah Peak, you go East on Highway 20 for almost six hours from Boise.