Denali

The story

Denali ( də-NAH-lee; Koyukon: Deenaalee), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level. Its vertical relief above the surrounding plateaus is one of the greatest on Earth, measuring about 18,000 feet (5,500 meters). With a topographic prominence of 20,156 feet (6,144 m) and a topographic isolation of 4,621.1 miles (7,436.9 km), 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. On 29 August 2015, 40 years after Alaska had officially renamed the mountain Denali, the United States Department of the Interior under the Obama administration changed the official federal name of the mountain also to Denali. In January 2025, the Department of the Interior under the Trump administration reverted the mountain's official federal name to Mount McKinley. 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. On September 2, 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey measured the mountain at 20,310 feet (6,190 m) high, 10 ft lower than the 20,320 feet (6,194 m) measured in 1952 using photogrammetry.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q130018, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation

6190 m

How to reach it

Named places within 25 miles

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 19.8 miles of Denali. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

When to go

Light through the year

Local time (America/Anchorage).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Aug.

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Denali 27 N, 27 mi away.

Inside the official boundary of Denali National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Nov; busiest: Aug.

NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).

Where this comes from

OpenStreetMap element node/2748929230