Cliffs are nature’s raw declarations of power—vertical monuments of stone and time that tell stories of ancient oceans, rising mountains, and unstoppable erosion. Standing before one is both humbling and exhilarating. These towering formations have inspired myths, challenged climbers, and left geologists in awe for centuries. Across the world, cliffs rise from ocean depths, fjords, and mountain ranges, sculpted by tectonic forces and the relentless hand of weather. From Arctic walls of ice-polished granite to desert escarpments glowing at sunset, these are the top 10 countries with the tallest and most awe-inspiring cliffs on Earth.
#1: Norway – Troll Wall (3,600 feet)
Norway’s Troll Wall, or Trollveggen, is the highest vertical rock face in Europe—an immense, sheer cliff rising 3,600 feet from the Romsdalen Valley. The name alone evokes legend, rooted in Norse mythology where trolls were said to turn to stone when touched by sunlight. Standing beneath it, you can see how such myths came to life—the wall looks alive, as if giants froze mid-motion. Formed of dark gneiss and granite, Troll Wall’s jagged ridges and shadowy alcoves have drawn climbers from around the world. The first ascent in 1965 by a Norwegian-British team took ten grueling days, using primitive gear and courage bordering on madness. In the 1980s, it became a mecca for BASE jumpers—until the government banned jumps after several fatalities. Troll Wall changes constantly; rockfalls alter its face yearly as frost and gravity tear away the stone. Hidden among its folds are secret bivouac spots climbers used to sleep during multi-day ascents. Standing in Romsdal Valley at dawn, with the wall bathed in gold, it’s easy to see why Norwegians call this place “the cathedral of stone.”
#2: Canada – Mount Thor (4,100 feet)
Mount Thor, located in Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, holds the world record for the greatest vertical drop—a staggering 4,100 feet of almost perfectly vertical granite. It’s so sheer that if you dropped a rock from the summit, it would fall clear of the wall before hitting the base. Thor looks like something from another planet—a massive granite pyramid sculpted by glaciers, its face streaked with mineral veins that shimmer in the Arctic light. Named after the Norse god of thunder, it certainly lives up to its title. In 1985, an American team completed the first full ascent of the west face, battling freezing temperatures, storms, and sheer exhaustion over 33 days. The story of one climber’s broken leg near the summit, and his team’s desperate rescue through fog and ice, remains legendary. Today, Thor attracts daring climbers and BASE jumpers who camp for days waiting for the Arctic winds to calm. Hidden nearby, the Weasel River valley offers one of the most surreal treks in the Arctic Circle—fields of tundra wildflowers surrounded by walls of granite rising thousands of feet high.
#3: Greenland – Ketil Mountain (3,200 feet)
In southern Greenland’s remote Tasermiut Fjord stands Ketil Mountain, a monolith of pink granite soaring over 3,200 feet almost straight from the water. Often called “the Yosemite of the Arctic,” this fjord hosts some of the most spectacular climbing on Earth. Ketil’s walls glow rose-gold under the midnight sun, reflecting into the icy fjord below. Few places feel as untouched. The indigenous Inuit once believed the mountain to be the home of spirits, and legends describe strange sounds—echoes and rockfall reverberations—emanating from its cliffs at night. The first ascent came in 1971 by an Italian team, who endured fierce Arctic storms that pinned them to the wall for days. Today, adventurers must still reach Ketil by boat, hauling their gear through polar bear territory. The challenge is immense, but the reward—a view of the fjord winding endlessly through Greenland’s wilderness—is beyond compare. For those less daring, the nearby village of Nanortalik offers stories of Viking ruins and Norse explorers who may have gazed upon Ketil’s granite centuries ago.
#4: United States – El Capitan (3,000 feet)
Few cliffs are as iconic as El Capitan in California’s Yosemite National Park—a 3,000-foot vertical granite wall that has become a global symbol of adventure and endurance. Carved by ancient glaciers from solid granite, “El Cap” dominates Yosemite Valley with an imposing grace that draws climbers and photographers alike. Warren Harding’s 1958 first ascent took 47 days, using ropes, bolts, and dogged persistence. Since then, it’s become the ultimate test for free climbers. In 2017, Alex Honnold stunned the world by free soloing the face—climbing without ropes—in under four hours, an achievement considered one of the greatest feats in sports history. Hidden within El Capitan are small ledges like “El Cap Tower,” where climbers sleep strapped into hammocks hanging thousands of feet above the ground. Its geology tells of molten granite cooling deep underground 100 million years ago, later exposed by relentless ice and erosion. On misty mornings, waterfalls sometimes pour down its face, turning the wall into a shimmering veil of liquid silver.
#5: Chile – Cerro Escudo (4,000 feet)
Chile’s Patagonian wilderness conceals one of Earth’s most forbidding cliff faces—the granite spire of Cerro Escudo, rising 4,000 feet above the rainforest valleys of Torres del Paine. This mountain, whose name means “Shield,” is part of a range famed for vertical walls so smooth and sheer that climbers describe them as “impossible until they’re done.” Few have dared its slopes; the first ascent came only in the 1990s after weeks of storm delays and near-starvation. The Patagonian weather changes by the minute, with winds so fierce they can knock climbers off their feet. Escudo’s cliffs, glowing orange at sunset, overlook glacial lakes and emerald forests. Myths among the Tehuelche people tell of spirits turning warriors into stone shields—perhaps an echo of these frozen giants. Hidden beneath its cliffs are rare plants that survive in the spray of waterfalls fed by melting ice, and fossils of ancient marine creatures remind us that these mountains once lay beneath an ocean floor millions of years ago.
#6: United Kingdom – St. John’s Head, Scotland (3,300 feet)
On Scotland’s Orkney Islands, the red sandstone cliffs of St. John’s Head drop 3,300 feet straight into the cold North Atlantic, making them the tallest sea cliffs in the British Isles. Their rusty color and towering presence give them an otherworldly feel, especially at dusk when they seem to glow with inner fire. The cliffs are so remote that few people ever see them up close; the only real view comes from the deck of a boat battling rough seas. The first ascent in 1970 by a British team took two days of dangerous climbing, with waves crashing below. Local folklore claims the cliffs are haunted by the spirits of sailors lost at sea, their echoes carried by the wind. Hidden on nearby Hoy Island is the famous Old Man of Hoy, a 450-foot sea stack that once connected to the cliffs before erosion cut it loose. These cliffs tell a geological story dating back 400 million years, when Scotland lay near the equator and rivers deposited the sand that would become this monumental wall.
#7: China – Mount Huashan (3,000 feet)
Mount Huashan in Shaanxi Province isn’t just one of China’s tallest cliff systems—it’s one of its most sacred. Sheer walls rise over 3,000 feet, hosting a network of ancient Taoist temples perched impossibly on narrow ledges. For centuries, pilgrims have ascended its infamous “Plank Walk,” a narrow wooden path bolted into the cliff, where one misstep means a fall into the abyss. The mountain’s name means “Flower Mountain,” and from above, its peaks form the shape of a five-petaled blossom. Legends say Laozi, founder of Taoism, once meditated in a cave here. Hidden shrines and inscriptions still mark secret hermitages along the cliffs. Despite its serenity, Huashan has a dramatic past: bandits once used its heights as a fortress, and emperors climbed it seeking divine wisdom. Today, thrill-seekers come for both the adrenaline and the awe, walking paths that seem to float above the clouds.
#8: Venezuela – Auyán-tepui (3,200 feet)
In Venezuela’s Gran Sabana rises Auyán-tepui, a colossal sandstone table mountain with cliffs dropping more than 3,200 feet to the rainforest below. This is the home of Angel Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall, which plunges from its summit in a continuous 3,200-foot drop. The indigenous Pemon people call it “House of the Gods,” believing it to be the dwelling place of spirits. The flat summit is shrouded in mist and home to unique species found nowhere else on Earth, including carnivorous plants and ancient mosses. In 1933, American aviator Jimmy Angel crash-landed his plane atop the tepui, bringing the mountain to global fame. The cliffs here seem endless, vanishing into clouds, with waterfalls appearing and disappearing as the light shifts. Hidden within its folds are deep caves and ancient rock formations over a billion years old—remnants of when South America and Africa were one continent.
#9: Australia – Mount Buffalo Gorge (3,000 feet)
In Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the sheer granite cliffs of The Gorge rise nearly 3,000 feet above the valley floor, offering panoramic views of alpine forests and waterfalls. These cliffs are Australia’s rock-climbing heartland, where pioneers in the 1950s developed some of the continent’s first big wall routes. Aboriginal legends speak of the mountain as the body of a giant buffalo spirit guarding the land. The granite here is some of the oldest exposed rock on Earth—over 300 million years old—carved into domes and sheer drops by ice and rain. One of the hidden wonders is Mackey’s Lookout, a ledge that offers a dizzying perspective straight down the valley. In winter, the cliffs catch snow, while in summer they shimmer gold at sunset. Visitors often hear the eerie sound of wind whistling through the Gorge, which locals once believed to be ancestral voices.
#10: New Zealand – Mitre Peak (5,560 feet)
Rising directly from the waters of Milford Sound, Mitre Peak is one of the world’s most dramatic cliffs—its summit soaring 5,560 feet nearly straight up from the ocean. Its distinctive shape, resembling a bishop’s mitre, makes it a national symbol of New Zealand’s wild beauty. Maori legends say it was formed by the god Tu-te-raki-whanoa as part of the creation of Fiordland. Mitre Peak is so steep that climbing it requires technical alpine skills, and weather changes can turn the ascent deadly. In the 19th century, British explorers mistook it for an island until fog cleared, revealing its full height. Today, its reflection in Milford Sound’s still waters creates one of the most photographed scenes on Earth. Hidden among the surrounding fiords are caves, rare penguin colonies, and waterfalls that tumble directly into the sea. The combination of vertical cliffs, lush rainforest, and glacial water gives Mitre Peak an almost mystical atmosphere—a perfect finale to Earth’s grandest walls of stone.
From Norway’s granite cathedrals to New Zealand’s ocean cliffs, the tallest cliffs on Earth reveal the planet’s untamed artistry. They are geological memoirs, shaped by fire, ice, and time, yet forever commanding reverence. Standing before them, one feels both small and infinite—a reminder that nature, in its greatest vertical expressions, writes history not in pages but in towering walls of stone and silence.
