Skip to content

Porphyry Mountain

Porphyry Mountain, seen from above at true elevation

Porphyry Mountain rises to 1,943 m in Alaska. Atna Peaks stands 4,225 m to the northwest, 23 miles off. The nearest named place is St. Ellias Apline Guides Kennecott Mill Tour, a attraction 1.9 miles away. 31 named places lie within 25 miles, 24 of them named summits.

The story

Porphyry Mountain is a prominent 6,375-foot (1,943 meter) mountain summit located in the Wrangell Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, immediately southeast of Kennecott, 4 mi (6 km) northeast of McCarthy, and, 5 mi (8 km) northwest of Sourdough Peak. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Nizina River, which in turn is part of the Copper River drainage basin. The peak is notable for a rock glacier on its north slope. The mountain was so named because it is largely composed of porphyry, which is a very hard igneous rock. The mountain's local name was reported in 1908 by the U.S. Geological Survey. On a clear day the summit of Porphyry Mountain offers views of Donoho Peak, Kennicott Glacier, and Mount Blackburn to the northwest, and Fireweed Mountain to the west.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q49063450, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
1943 m

How to reach it

Coordinates61.47108, -142.83069

31 named places within 25 miles

Peaks: 24
  • Bonanza Peak: 3.4 mi
  • Green Butte: 3.5 mi
  • Sourdough Peak: 5.1 mi
  • Donoho Peak: 7.6 mi
  • Fireweed Mountain - Central Peak: 9.6 mi
Attractions: 3
Historic sites: 2
  • Assay ruins: 2.1 mi
  • Saw mill ruins: 2.1 mi
Museums: 1
  • McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum: 3.9 mi
Waterfalls: 1
  • Chitistone Falls: 22.2 mi

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Porphyry Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Atna PeaksNW 326°4,225 m23.3 mi
Regal MountainN 356°4,220 m18.9 mi
Parka PeakNNW 330°3,993 m22.2 mi
Rime PeakNW 321°3,866 m24.6 mi
Castle PeakWNW 294°3,070 m22.1 mi
Andrus PeakSE 133°2,480 m18.3 mi
Mount BaldwinENE 63°2,462 m24.2 mi
Mount HolmesSE 135°2,347 m16.1 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:3318:4919:46
June solstice03:4921:5023:19
September equinox07:1618:3619:33
December solstice09:5015:11

Local time (America/Anchorage).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: Jun–Aug.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F-2101835475457544429102
Precip in0.91.10.40.30.91.62.42.62.62.21.51.1

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Mccarthy 3 SW, 7 mi away.

Inside the official boundary of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Dec; busiest: Jul.

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

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/764140397

More peaks in Alaska

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Porphyry Mountain.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens