Did you know that Alaska is home to many of the highest mountains and peaks of America and Canada?The highest point of the Alaska mountain range is called Mount Denali. Since it is covered with permanent ice it is also called a white mountain.Apart from Mount Denali, the highest mountain is Mount Saint Elias that ranges 18,009 ft (5,457 m). Mount Saint Elias mountain is also home to Mount Saint Elias National Park with a diversity of species and migratory birds. Mount Kennedy is the tallest peak in the Saint Elias mountain range. Then comes mount Bona which is the tallest peak in Saint Elias mountain having an elevation up to 16550 ft (5,015 m). Mount Bona is either the 10th or 11th highest peak in North America. Mount Bona and Mount Churchill, its neighbor, are both enormous ice-covered stratovolcanoes. Most mountain peaks in Canada lie more specifically in British Columbia. Some of them are Mount Lucania, Mount Blackburn, Mount Hubbard which lie in the Wrangell mountain Range of eastern Alaska. Mount Whitney lies in the range of the Sierra Nevada in California.Mount Whitney is also the highest mountain in North America with a height of 14,505 ft (4,395 m). Barnard Glacier is the longest glacier in Alaska which is 33 mi (53 km) long. Mount Logan comes second in the highest mountain ranges of Canada after Denali and the highest peak in Alaska which is 19,551 ft (5,924 m) tall. The Cascade range extends from British Columbia. Mount Blackburn is the tallest mountain in the US state of Alaska’s Wrangell Mountains. Mount Hubbard is one of the Saint Elias Range’s most prominent peaks. Mount Hubbard is located on the Alaska/Yukon border, with Kluane National Park and Reserve on the Canadian side and Wrangell–St. Elias National Park on the American side.The continental United States is the part of the United States of America that is on North America’s continent. The Continental United States consists of 49 states (48 of which are south of Canada and north of Mexico, known as the lower 48 states, with Alaska as the exception) and the District of Columbia, which houses the federal capital, Washington, D.C. Hawaii is the only state that isn’t included in the Continental United States (as they are islands in the Pacific Ocean and not part of North America). Mount Fairweather (formally known as Fairweather Mountain in Canada but often referred to as Mount Fairweather) is the highest peak in British Columbia, Canada.After reading about the facts related to the San Juan Mountains and Sequoia National Park, also check facts about the tallest peak in Washington and ocean east of Argentina.Mount Denali Geography LocationMount Denali which is also called Mount McKinley is one of the highest mountain peaks situated in North America. However, Mount Mckinley was its first official name and later changed into Mount Denali.It is the tallest mountain in North America. It stands among many tallest peaks and highest peaks. These mountain ranges are among the highest major summits of America. It is President McKinley’s home state of Ohio. Mount Whitney California stands among the white mountains on the east side of Sierra Nevada. Other mountain ranges are found in Alaska like the Wrangell Mountains are a high mountain range of eastern Alaska. Saint Elias range is found in south central Alaska.Mount Denali ranks third in most isolated and is also the third highest peak after Mount Everest and Aconcagua. It is a part of the great Alaska range which is located in the interior of the US. Having the highest summit in the Alaska range, the elevation of this tallest peak is about 20,427 ft (6190 m) above sea level. The prominent topography is 20,311 ft (6155 m). This makes the highest peak to be the prime location for Denali National Park and Preserve. Mountaineers and hikers are more than excited to have an adventurous ride on the highest summit of Mount Denali. It has two specific summits. The higher summit is the South summit and the North Summit. It has elevated up to 19,582 ft (5934 m). The North Summit is also considered a separate peak because it is very rare that mountaineers climb it. It is merely used as a route to get to the other summits. There are five glaciers that cover the slopes of Mount Denali. The northwest side is covered with the Peters Glacier. The Muldrow glacier covers the northeast slope of the highest mountain. Khiltana glacier is one of the longest glaciers in the Alaska mountain range.Mount Denali is one of the highest of seven summits. Many people believe that it is a mountain volcano. However, Mount Denali is not an active mountain volcano but used to be a mountain volcano. There were volcanic eruptions that occurred back to 3000 years ago with the highest volcano in Alaska. The volcanic craters are thus filled with muddy water and burnt magma. There are craters and ponds that are left behind.The Buzzard creek north of Healy is one of the volcanic craters. There are thousands of craters in Alaska.Mount Denali ElevationThe features of Mount Denali are most striking given the topography of the mountain history on our planet. The tallest peak is considered to be the crown of the Alaska range and is also the highest mountain in the entire continent. The height of this highest mountain is 20,310 ft (6,154 m). It is one mile taller than Mount Everest in India.The base of Denali mountain is at 2000 ft (609 m) above sea level. From there the elevation rises to 20,310 ft (6,154 m) forming the entire highest mountain summit. Whereas Everest begins at 14000 ft (4,242 m) high plain and then summits upto around 29,028 ft (8,795 m). The northern side is covered in ice and forms a steep wall called the Wickersham Wall. It is a continuous mountain face that rises to 14000 ft (4,242 m) from the Peters Glacier. There is permanent snow and glacial ice that covers 75% of the tallest mountain and its gigantic glaciers. The thickness of this snow is 3700 ft (1,121 m) and it spreads evenly throughout its base in all directions. This tallest mountain records the world’s most violent and coldest weather conditions. The wind speed is extremely high at 150 mph (240 kph). The temperatures on this highest peak have been recorded to have fallen to -93 F (-69.4 C). The most challenging part of the summit is to climb at an elevation where the mountain has the lowest barometric pressure. It is the lowest compared to all tall mountains and peaks in the world.Geologists and experts are studying the facts and monitoring the changes that may cause topographic changes in the coming centuries because of climate change. The basic formation of mountains and peaks above sea level is derived due to plate tectonic theory. The molten lava inside the earth’s crust is moving and this causes the plates to collide, converge and diverge from each other. The molten magma results in the movement of the plates whereas the plate results in the movements of the earth’s surface. This process is called the tectonic activity of the plates. There are around six continental plates that gave rise to these continents. The reason for the elevation of Mount Denali being the tallest mountain is the movement of the Pacific plate. The magma inside forces the pacific plate to move towards the north direction. This creates pressure between the two plates and constant thrusting of the pacific plates causes the plates to build up and release the tension. Thus these plates converge and rise up against each other causing elevations. Another reason that Mount Denali is the tallest mountain is that it is made up of igneous granite rock.Mount Denali FeaturesOne of the known and striking features of the tallest mountain in Alaska is the Denali National Park and Preserve. This forms the most conservative and protected area of the mountain’s landscape. The Mountain lies within the national park covering an area of 2.4 million hectares (six million acres). The entire national park has only one single road that stretches through the park. This road is 91 mi (145.6 km) long.The Denali mountain summit has been a constant attraction for hikers but along with it, the Denali National Park is also a major tourist spot. There are thousands of people that come to visit the national park from across the globe. The months between May and September form the major period of visitors and tourists coming to see the national park and preserve. There are around 400,000 people who visit the national park every year.The mountain summit has a reach of 32,000 people out of which a very handful are able to climb and complete the summit. The success rate is 60% when recorded in 2016. So this turns the non-successful climbers to visit the national park. This national park consists of extensive selections in terms of flora and fauna with a variety of diversified species that are conserved by the environment and wildlife authorities. Most of the species of birds are migratory. The wildlife in the national park includes bears, mountain goats, beavers, marmots, wolves, caribou, otters, and many others. The temperatures are relatively cooler which is why the only reptile found in common is the hibernating wood frog. Otherwise, the number of amphibians is very less in the national park owing to the cold weather.Why is Mount Denali famous?The highest mountain summit of Denali mountain is covered in the snow forever. In fact, some of the glaciers are around 30 mi (48 km) long so you can imagine the intensity of survival during the summit.The longest glacier on the southwestern slope of the mountain is the Kahiltna Glacier which covers 44 mi (70.4 km) of distance. The temperatures are recorded to be falling -75 F (-59.4 C) which gives an extreme cold weather climate during the summit. The challenging summit amidst extreme weather is the most striking feature and hence the mountain is famous for mountain lovers.The history of the dual names of the tallest mountain in Alaska is also interesting with a historical and political significance attached to it. The Former name of the mountain was called Mount McKinley. It was given to it in 1896 by a gold prospector. Later in 1917, the name was officially adopted by the US government. The name was given in the honor of the late President of the United States William Mckinley who served the country from 1897- 1901. But the name was again changed in 1975. The State legislature of Alaska came forward with a petition to change the name of the mountain to Denali. The petition was given to the Federal Government. It was opposed and blocked by delegates of the Ohio Congress. Later in 2015, the petition was accepted and the name Denali was adopted instead of Mount McKinley. The announcement of this name change was made by President Barack Obama during his visit to Alaska.The first person to attempt the summit of Mount Denali was James Wickersham in 1903. Unfortunately, it was not successful. But this charged the aspiring mountaineers and opened up a new summit challenge for many. In 1906 Fredrick Cook climbed the summit but his claim remains unverified yet. After seven years there was a trio of climbers in 1913 who became the first climbers to reach mount Denali and verified their highest mountain summit. Their names were Robert Tatum, Harry Karstens, and Walter Harper. They climbed through the southern summit.The passion for climbing summits is unreal and no wonder people risk their survival in such extreme weather conditions rather than return with failure. Around 100 - 150 mountaineers have lost their lives to the highest mountain summit. Many climbers approach the mountain from the West Buttress. After examining the aerial view and analyzing the topography of the mountain, it was found that the easiest route to climb was the southern summit. The time taken to reach the summit was two to four weeks on average. The weather is also an obstruction for many people other than climbers. In 2018, there was a crash in mount Denali where a K2 aviation aircraft met with unfortunate conditions and had a crash landing that claimed the lives of all the five people who were on board.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for tallest mountain in America: here’s what you need to know! then why not take a look at fascinating facts about giants that will help you reach new ‘heights’, or eastern poison ivy plant facts: explore more about this climbing vine.
Did you know that Alaska is home to many of the highest mountains and peaks of America and Canada?
