The True Summit is a term which describes the point of a mountain which is at the highest elevation. It is usually used in contrast to the term False Summit which refers to a portion of the mountain which appears to be the highest point due to deceptive optics or accessibility. On some mountains the trail will lead hikers to a viewpoint near the summit, while the true summit is nearby off-trail. Some hikers will seek to find the true summit of the mountain, usually when peakbagging.
