Created by plate tectonics and faulting, and sculpted and shaped by glaciers, Denali Mountain is definitely the Star of the Show, standing 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level. Here are a few fun facts about this mountain plus information about undertaking a climb to the summit.
Denali Mountain makes its own weather, Denali National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson
- Denali Mountain is taller than Mount Everest. Truth! In addition to being the tallest mountain in North America, when measured from base to summit, Denali is actually a mile taller than Everest, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
- People have applied different names to this mountain: Denali, Densmore Mountain, Densmore Peak, Bolshaya Gora, and Mount McKinley. It wasn’t until the eve of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary in 2016 that the mountain changed names from Mount McKinley to Denali, a Koyukon Athabascan word meaning “the high one,” or “the tall one.”
- Denali makes its own weather. It can be sunny and clear everywhere else in this national park and preserve, yet the mountain itself may be hidden from view behind clouds. The American Meteorological Society states that this weather difference is “due to its geographic isolation and the large elevation difference between base and summit, [which] significantly affects atmospheric flow at the micro and mesoscale and is characterized by high wind speeds and cold temperatures.”
- Because of the mountain making its own weather, only about 30 percent of visitors to this national park and preserve ever get to see Denali’s peak. Are you a member of the “30 Percent Club?”
- The summit of Mount Denali is permanently covered in snow, and some of the glaciers reach lengths of 45 miles (72.4 km) long.
- Denali Mountain was first summitted on June 7, 1913, by four men, one of whom – Harry Karstens – would become the first superintendent of the then-named Mount McKinley National Park.
- Climbing Denali has become so popular that the national park and preserve now limits the number of climbers to 1,500 from April 1 to August 1. There is no daily or weekly limit – just a seasonal limit.
- In 2023, 66 percent of climbers were from the United States, with most of these climbers coming from Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and California, respectively.
- Nineteen percent (197 climbers) in 2023 were women, and of that number, 63 percent reached Denali’s summit.
- On a good day, Denali Mountain can be seen over 150 miles (241 km) away.
If you feel like attempting a Denali summit yourself, there’s plenty of planning and preparation you need to do for such an adventurous undertaking. As a matter of fact, the park’s website has an entire page dedicated to FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) pertaining to climbing Denali.
The park also has a page dedicated to annual mountaineering summary reports and statistics from 1979 to 2023.
A sunrise reflection of Denali on Nugget Pond, Denali National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson
