high country

American  

noun

1. a mountainous area below the timberline; a forested mountain area.

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high country British  

noun

1. sheep pastures in the foothills of the Southern Alps, New Zealand

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Other Word Forms

• high-country
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of high country

First recorded in 1450–1500

Example Sentences

Nestled beside the banks of the mighty Macalister River in Victoria's high country, Licola was originally a timber mill, built in the 1950s with a few buildings for those working there.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

Financing multibillion-dollar projects remains costly because of Argentina’s high country risk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Traffic patterns aside, Tioga Road’s reopening is a relief for high country lovers eager for easy access to the subalpine meadows and blue lakes nestled between granite domes and towering lodgepole pines.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2023

For areas with a healthy snowpack, any fire activity in the high country may be delayed until late May into mid-June, which means the window for wildland fires could be shortened, Davila said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2023

And then the nose began to tip down toward the mysterious high country forest where they would not be discovered in years.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols