There’s no reason to set foot on many of the 115 highest mountains in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Unless, of course, you’re determined to join the 111ers — that misnamed group of fewer than 420 peak baggers who have stood on top of every 4,000-foot mountain in the region.

However, some Northeast hikes are worth doing — again and again. No matter how precious time may be to you, there are places out there that demand your attention.

So we’ve compiled a list of mountains worth your time.

‘‘Some I’d go do in a minute,’’ says Al Bushnell, a member of the 111ers. ‘‘If someone said, ‘I’m going to do Katahdin. Want to go?’ I’d tell them at work, ‘I’ll see you in three days.’ ’’

There are several others that fall into this ‘‘when-do-we-leave?’’ category: from Mount Washington in New Hampshire (walk, don’t drive to the top) to Mount Marcy in New York (go in the winter for what Bushnell calls a ‘‘closer-to-true-mountaineering experience’’). Or try the lesser-known Bigelow in Maine or Bondcliff and Lafayette in New Hampshire.

If you’re not a 111er wannabe, there are places to avoid, such as Street, Nye and Couchsachraga in the Adirondacks. None of those peaks has maintained trails — or much of anything else to offer.

Here’s the secret to a good climb: a view. Why go up if you’re going to come back down without seeing anything? A mountaintop panorama is the reward for all your work. Many Northeast summits are in a view-shrouding forest.

Take Owl’s Head in New Hampshire, for instance. You hike 18 or 19 miles and at the end you need to climb a tree to get a view from the top of this 4,025-foot hill. Leave it to the owls. There are too many other beautiful peaks in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

Start with the Presidential Range, home to the epic Mount Washington, and go from there.

If you don’t want to lose ground — futilely struggling to get above timberline — Washington is up there with Marcy and other Adirondack peaks such as Algonquin, Haystack and Iroquois. These are among the premier climbs in the Northeast — worth both the time and the effort.

But the best of the best?

‘‘I’d have to say that Katahdin is the most impressive 4,000-foot peak in the Northeast. It has to be the don’t-miss hike.’’

Views like this in the White Mountains of New Hampshire make many of the Northeast's 115 4,000-foot mountains worth the time and the climb. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

To climb or not to climb

There are 115 mountains in the Northeast that are considered in the 4,000-foot club. Forty-six of those are in the Adirondacks and two in the Catskill Mountains in New York. There are five in Vermont’s Green Mountains, 48 in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and 14 in Maine’s Longfellow Mountains.

Six of the peaks (four in the Adirondacks and two in Maine) are actually below 4,000 feet according to more accurate surveys, but are still considered among the highest mountains for historical reasons. Those who have climbed the 115 are called 111ers because originally the number of 4,000-foot mountains in the Northeast was thought to be 111.

Here are some highlights and lowlights:

Ten best

New York: Marcy, 5,344 feet; Algonquin, 5,114’; Haystack, 4,960’ and Iroquois, 4,840’.

New Hampshire: Washington, 6,288’; Bondcliff, 4,265’; Lafayette, 5,249’ and Isolation, 4,005’.

Maine: Katahdin (Baxter Peak), 5,268’ and Bigelow (Avery Peak), 4,088’.

Ten worst

New York: Blake, 3,960’; Couchsachraga, 3,820’; Nye, 3,895’ and Street, 4,166’.

Vermont: Ellen, 4,083’.

New Hampshire: Hale, 4,054’ and Tom, 4,047’.

Maine: Redington, less than 4,000’; Spaudling, less than 4,000’ and South Crocker, 4,010’.

Dishonorable mention: Ellen (4,083’) in Vermont and Waumbek (4,056’) in New Hampshire.

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