Culture

We are drawn to mountains for adventure, sustenance, beauty, spiritual purposes, or simply because they are where we've always lived. These experiences are reflected in the cultural relationships we have with mountains, such as the notion of wilderness, the power of names, and the deep feeling of mountains as home.

Explore some of these different aspects of mountain culture by clicking on the image links below.

  • Log cabins in a grassy opening dotted with pine trees and the Grand Teton Mountain Range in the back
    Mountain Peoples

    Explore past and present mountain dwellers in national parks from the far North to Appalachia.

  • Hiker with full backpack walks along mountain ridge.
    Wilderness

    Consider the definition of “wilderness character,” and explore some of our many mountain park wilderness areas.

  • Panels of a large quilt on the wall showing scenes from a mountain landscape.
    Mountain Arts

    Browse Artist-in-Residence image galleries and explore other expressions of art connected with mountains.

  • A roadside brown trail sign with a backpacker image says
    Mountains and Language

    Explore words tied to mountains.

  • River flanked by grass and forest flows in the foreground with tall granite peaks in the background.
    World Heritage Sites

    Learn what qualifies several mountain parks as World Heritage Sites.

Last updated: December 29, 2025

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