List of highest counties in the United States
highest United States counties by mean elevation
The following table ranks the 50 highest United States counties or county-equivalents by mean elevation. This list uses the "mean of extremes" elevation which is the arithmetic mean of the highest and lowest elevations.
Lake County, Colorado has the highest U.S. county mean elevation of 11,702 feet (3,567 m). Lake County is the home of Mount Elbert and Mount Massive, the two highest summits of the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada. Lake County is also the home of the highest U.S. county low point, the Arkansas River at the Chaffee County line with an elevation of 8,965 feet (2,733 m).
With the highest mountain of all North America, the Denali Borough of Alaska has both the highest U.S. county high point, the summit of Denali at 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m) elevation, and the greatest U.S. county elevation range of 19,925 feet (6,073 m).
Of these 50 highest U.S. counties, 34 counties are located in Colorado, four counties in Wyoming, four counties in New Mexico, three counties in Utah, two boroughs in Alaska, and one county each in California, Idaho, and Nevada.
The public source identifies “List of highest counties in the United States” as highest United States counties by mean elevation. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around List, highest and counties.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “List of highest counties in the United States”, the useful work is to connect “highest United States counties by mean elevation” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 18, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q112913359. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “List of highest counties in the United States”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow List of highest counties in the United States primary sources, List of highest counties in the United States archive and List research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “List of highest counties in the United States”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “List of highest counties in the United States” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.