Denali

This article is about the mountain. For other uses, see Denali (disambiguation).

Denali
A snow-covered, gently sloping mountain is in the background, with a lake in the foreground
From the north, with Wonder Lake in the foreground
Highest point
Elevation20,310 ft (6,190 m) top of snow[1][2]
NAVD88
Prominence20,194 ft (6,155 m)[3]
Parent peakAconcagua[3]
Isolation4,621.1 mi (7,436.9 km)[3]
Listing
Coordinates63°04′10″N 151°00′27″W / 63.0695°N 151.0074°W / 63.0695; -151.0074[4]
Geography
Denali is located in Alaska
Denali
Denali
LocationDenali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, U.S.
Parent rangeAlaska Range
Topo mapUSGS Mt. McKinley A-3
Climbing
First ascentJune 7, 1913 by
Easiest routeWest Buttress Route (glacier/snow climb)

Denali (/dəˈnɑːli/;[5][6] also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name)[7] is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base-to-peak on land, measuring 18,000 ft (5,500 m),[8] with a topographic prominence of 20,194 feet (6,155 m)[3] and a topographic isolation (the distance to the nearest peak of equal or greater height) of 4,621.1 miles (7,436.9 km),[3] Denali is the third most prominent and third-most isolated peak on Earth, 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, who later became the 25th president; McKinley's name was the official name recognized by the federal government of the United States from 1917 until 2015. In August 2015, 40 years after Alaska had done so, the United States Department of the Interior announced the change of the official name of the mountain to Denali.[9][10]

In 1903, James Wickersham recorded the first attempt at climbing Denali, which was unsuccessful. In 1906, Frederick Cook claimed the first ascent, but this ascent is unverified and its legitimacy questioned. The first verifiable ascent to Denali's summit was achieved on June 7, 1913, by climbers Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum, who went by the South Summit. In 1951, Bradford Washburn pioneered the West Buttress route, considered to be the safest and easiest route, and therefore the most popular currently in use.[11]

On September 2, 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey measured the mountain at 20,310 feet (6,190 m) high,[1] 10 ft lower than the 20,320 feet (6,194 m) measured in 1952 using photogrammetry.

  1. ^ a b Mark Newell; Blaine Horner (September 2, 2015). "New Elevation for Nation's Highest Peak" (Press release). USGS. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  2. ^ Wagner, Mary Jo (November 2015). "Surveying at 20,000 feet". The American Surveyor. 12 (10): 10–19. ISSN 1548-2669.
  3. ^ a b c d e PeakVisor. "Denali". Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference gnis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917]. Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 3-12-539683-2.
  6. ^ "Denali". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  7. ^ Mr. Wyden, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (September 10, 2013). "Senate Report 113-93 – Designation of Denali in the State of Alaska". U.S. Government Publishing Office. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2015. The State of Alaska changed the name of the mountain to Denali in 1975, although the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has continued to use the name Mount McKinley. Today most Alaskans refer to Mount McKinley as Denali.
  8. ^ Adam Helman (2005). The Finest Peaks: Prominence and Other Mountain Measures. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4120-5995-4. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2012. On p. 20 of Helman (2005):"the base to peak rise of Mount McKinley is the largest of any mountain that lies entirely above sea level, some 18,000 ft (5,500 m)".
  9. ^ "Denali Name Change" (PDF) (Press release). U.S. Department of the Interior. August 28, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  10. ^ Campbell, Jon (August 30, 2015). "Old Name Officially Returns to Nation's Highest Peak". U.S. Board of 6Geographic Names (U.S. Geological Survey). Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference roberts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).