Reviving an older thread I found interesting.
A long time lurker--first time posting here so please be kind
I'm not sure that a blanket statement is worthy, since many of the states have individual ranges which are spectacular. For me, I have spent the bulk of my time in the Alps--so I'm a fan of tall jagged summits with deep green valleys. Alp (for those who might not know) doesn't mountain, it is actually meadow or alpine pasture. You'll hear the word 'Alm' as well in referring to these meadows. So with that said, the mountains in the US I find particularly scenic are going to be as similar as it can get to the Alps.
I will show you some of my favorites in the Alps and then those in the US/Canada:
Villnöss, Südtirol (Dolomites)
Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland (Bernese Alps)
Hochkönig, Austria (Berchtesgaden Alps)
Logar Valley, Slovenia (Julian Alps)
Zugspitze, Germany (Bavarian Alps)
Okay, so here are some of mine in North America:
Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington (Cascades)
Lizard Range, British Columbia (Canadian Rockies)
Tetons, Wyoming (Rocky Mountains)
Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon (Wallowa Mountains)
Wind River Range, Wyoming (Rocky Mountains)
Hurricane Ridge, Washington (Olympic Mountains)
Ansel Adams Wilderness, California (Sierra Nevada)
Sawback Range, Alberta (Canadian Rockies)
Snake River Range, Idaho (Rocky Mountains)
Trinity Alps, California (Klamath Mountains)
San Juan Mountains, Colorado (Rocky Mountains)
While these North American mountains are stunning, I think there are a number of disadvantages some of them have in comparison to the Alps.
First, many are in remote area and just traveling to get to them is difficult.
Second, it is much colder and the climate overall more harsh in much of these mountains.
Third, there are far fewer meadows and thus much less transhumance than in the Alps. We love all the working dairies and cowbells ringing in the high alpine pastures during the summer. You just don't get much of that in North America.
Fourth, the elevation is typically much higher in the valleys than in Europe--thus less vertical rise. This makes the Alps overall more stunning to see in my opinion.
Fifth, the rain shadows created by some of these mountains is striking. Very arid and almost desert like along the eastern side. So they can be more brown and feel more barren than in the Alps.
So after this long-winded post, I will get to the answer of the original question asked. Which State Has the Best Mountains?
For me I would go with Washington. Probably because it comes closest to what I see as are the most beautiful mountains in the world: The Alps.
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