Reaching high into the heavens or rolling gently across the landscape, mountains have a mystique that captures our imaginations. In America and around the world, mountains shape the lives of hundreds of millions of people just as they shape the skyline.

In an effort to recognize the important role mountains play across the globe, the United Nations General Assembly designated December 11 as International Mountain Day in 2003. The success of the UN International Year of Mountains, which was held in 2002, encouraged the UN to celebrate mountains annually, and now each December 11th , the world again recognizes mountains and their importance in global society.

Mountains framing the country

About 270 million years ago the North American and African continents collided, pushing up huge masses of rock along the continent to form the Appalachian Mountains. When they first formed, they looked much like the present-day Rocky Mountains with sharp peaks. Over time, weather and sediment have eroded the present-day Appalachians to their rounded core. As Americans moved west, explorers were daunted by the rolling hills of the Appalachian Mountains. Little did they know that the newer and much larger Rocky Mountains were just across the plains.

In comparison to the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains are very young. Roughly 60 million years ago the Pacific plate began pushing up against the North American plate, causing the land to rise significantly, creating the Rocky Mountains. Today the mountains continue to rise as the two plates continue to push against each other.  Today, these rugged mountains are still sparsely populated when compared to the rest of the U.S. In the Rockies, the average population density is 10 people per square mile. In New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country, 1,121 people live in one square mile.

Shaping Communities

This year’s International Mountain Day focuses on the importance of connections between mountains and forests. Healthy mountain forests support and protect watersheds that supply freshwater to more than half of the world’s people. California’s National Forests, most of which are mountain forests, provide half of the state’s drinking water. Mountain forests also provide habitat for countless plant and animal species.

Here in the United States, mountains shape the lives of those that live in and around them. From the culture to the recreation opportunities to the economy, mountains affect life every day.  

The weathered and worn Appalachian Mountains are quietly breathtaking and full of history. Stretching from Georgia to Quebec, Canada, the Appalachian Mountains are the backyard forests of the Eastern Seaboard. Straddling the highest ridge in the state, West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest offers numerous hiking trails. North Carolina’s four National Forests have hundreds of waterfalls and countless recreation opportunities from hiking to boating to fishing and more.

“Out West,” as Easterners so often like to describe it, views are defined by the sharp peaks and long valleys of the Rocky Mountains, the Coastal Range, the Sierra Nevadas and other mountain ranges. National Forests almost completely surround Redding, California with Trinity National Forest to the west, Shasta National Forest to the north and Lassen National Forest to the east, all with stunning views and great adventures waiting in the woods. In Central Oregon, Bend acts as central point for skiing, white water rafting, hiking and more, all nearly footsteps away in the mountains of Deschutes National Forest and Williamette National Forest.

The next time you drive through a valley or hike along a ridge, take in the majesty, command and beauty of the mountains.