Mount Russell
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Mount Russell rises to 3,560 m in Alaska. Mount Foraker stands 5,303 m to the northeast, 19 miles off. The nearest named place is Heart Mountain, a peak 9.9 miles away. 6 named places lie within 25 miles, 6 of them named summits.
The story
Mount Russell is one of the major peaks of the central Alaska Range, approximately 35 mi (56 km) southwest of Denali. Though much lower than Denali or its neighbor Mount Foraker, Russell is a steep, dramatic peak and a significant mountaineering challenge in its own right. To give a sense of its size and steepness, note that its summit rises 6,560 ft (2,000 m) over the Chedotlothna Glacier to the northwest in only 1.8 mi (2.9 km), and almost 10,000 ft (3,000 m) above the lower Yentna Glacier to the south in only 8 mi (13 km). Mount Russell is the highest point in the Kuskokwim River watershed. The first ascent of Mount Russell was made on May 28, 1962, by a party led by Hellmut Raithel. The summit party comprised Klaus Ekkerlein, Robert Goodwin, and Peter Hennig. They ascended the West Face from the Chedotlothna Glacier. The second ascent was in July 1972, by Thomas Kensler, Peter Brown, John Hauck, Dick Jablonowski, and Daniel L. Osborne. That ascent proceeded via the now-standard North East Ridge route, from the high basin of the upper Yentna Glacier to the northeast of the peak. This route is rated at Alaska Grade 2+, and is made much shorter by the feasibility of landing at around 8,000 feet in the basin, just outside the wilderness portion of the park. Overshadowed as it is by its larger neighbors, Mount Russell had seen only six recorded ascents by 2001. However guided climbs of the peak are available.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q6923367, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3560 m
How to reach it
6 named places within 25 miles
- Heart Mountain: 9.9 mi
- Little Mountain: 12.5 mi
- Mount Foraker: 19.0 mi
- Mount Dall: 20.0 mi
- Avalanche Spire: 23.1 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Mount Russell. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Foraker | NE 54° | 5,303 m | 19.0 mi |
| Mount Crosson | NE 52° | 3,765 m | 24.0 mi |
| Mount Dall | SW 221° | 2,560 m | 20.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 08:09 | 19:22 | 20:23 |
| June solstice | 04:04 | 22:36 | 00:16 |
| September equinox | 07:52 | 19:10 | 20:10 |
| December solstice | 10:42 | — | 15:31 |
Local time (America/Anchorage).
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
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2039527864
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