Which US national park contains Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous states?

Sequoia National Park contains Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States.

Mount Whitney rises to about 14,505 feet (4,421 meters) in California’s southern Sierra Nevada. Its summit is reached from the eastern Sierra, while the mountain’s western side lies within Sequoia National Park. The park’s enormous elevation range, from foothill landscapes to alpine terrain, helps explain why it includes such a dramatic high point.

Mount Whitney was named for Josiah Whitney, California’s state geologist during the 19th century. The first recorded ascent took place in 1873, when three fishermen from Lone Pine reached the summit. Today, hikers commonly approach it by the 22-mile round-trip Mount Whitney Trail, which begins outside the park near Lone Pine and requires a permit.

The nearby Kings Canyon National Park is a frequent source of confusion: it borders Sequoia and is jointly administered with it, but Mount Whitney is associated with Sequoia National Park. Death Valley and Yosemite are also famous California parks, yet neither contains the state’s highest summit.