Denali | |
---|---|
Mount McKinley | |
From the north, with Wonder Lake
in the foreground |
|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 20,310 ft (6190 m) top of snow NAVD88 |
Prominence | 20,146 ft (6140 m) |
Isolation | 4629 mi (7450 km) |
Listing | |
Coordinates | 63°04′10″N 151°00′27″W / 63.0695°N 151.0074°WCoordinates: 63°04′10″N 151°00′27″W / 63.0695°N 151.0074°W |
Geography | |
|
|
Location | Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, U.S. |
Parent range | Alaska Range |
Topo map | USGS Mt. McKinley A-3 |
Climbing | |
First ascent | June 7, 1913 by Hudson Stuck Harry Karstens Walter Harper Robert Tatum |
Easiest route | West Buttress Route (glacier/snow climb) |
Denali (/dɪˈnɑːli/) (also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level. With a topographic prominence of 20,156 feet (6,144 m) and a topographic isolation of 4,629 miles (7,450 km), Denali is the third most prominent and third most isolated peak after Mount Everest and Aconcagua. Located in the Alaska Range in the interior of the U.S. state of Alaska, Denali is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.
The Koyukon people who inhabit the area around the mountain have referred to the peak as "Denali" for centuries. In 1896, a gold prospector named it "Mount McKinley" in support of then-presidential candidate William McKinley; that name was the official name recognized by the United States government from 1917 until 2015. In August 2015, following the 1975 lead of the state of Alaska, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the change of the official name of the mountain to Denali. Prior to this, most Alaskans already referred to the mountain as Denali.