McKinley, Mount

McKinley, Mount, also Denali, mountain, south central Alaska, in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve. The mountain rises 6,194 m (20,320 ft) above sea level and is the highest peak in North America. Known to the Native Americans as Denali, “the high one”, the mountain was named after President William McKinley in 1896. The mountain has two summits—the second is a shorter north summit, rising to 5,934 m (19,468 ft) above sea level. The mountain’s steep slopes are marked by glaciers, and a permanent layer of snow and ice covers the upper half of the peak.

In 1906 the American explorer Frederick Cook claimed to have reached the summit of the mountain, but his claim was found to be false. In the early 20th century, several other expeditions attempted to scale the peak, and one party did reach the false summit to the north in 1910. The higher, southern summit was first reached in 1913 by the Anglo-American clergyman and explorer Hudson Stuck and three companions.