Rising 6,190 meters above sea level, Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America. Geologically speaking, it is a "young" mountain—a dome-shaped massif that uplifted during the Late Tertiary to Quaternary periods. The mountain has two summits: the southern summit is the main peak, while the northern summit stands at 5,934 meters. Snow and ice cover the peak year-round, with the snow line at approximately 1,830 meters. The southern slope receives more precipitation, resulting in larger glaciers—such as the Kahiltna Glacier and the Ruth Glacier—which crawl down both sides of the mountain.

Mount McKinley, Image source: Tuchong

Mount McKinley rises abruptly from low-lying land. Its base sits only a few hundred meters above sea level, giving it a relative height difference of over 5,500 meters. This makes it appear "taller" than Mount Everest. At the foot of Everest, the ground is already a plateau at 5,000 meters, whereas McKinley rises directly from near sea level.

Mount McKinley, Image source: Tuchong

The mountain has had several names. The first to name it were the Athabascans, Alaska's Indigenous people, who called it "Denali," meaning "The High One" (also translated as "The Sun’s Home"). In 1896, a prospector heard that William McKinley had been nominated for the presidency and arbitrarily attached McKinley’s name to the mountain. In 2015, the mountain was officially renamed Denali, better reflecting the cultural heritage of the local Indigenous peoples. However, according to a Reuters report in 2025, Denali was renamed back to Mount McKinley.

Denali National Park was established in 1917, covering approximately 6,800 square kilometers, making it the second largest national park in the United States, after Yellowstone. Located just 400 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, the park experiences dark days in winter and long, white nights in summer. The park has only one road, most of which is accessible only by bus. In late June to early July, caribou migrate in herds—hundreds of them marching in a line—and return the same way in winter.

Mount McKinley was listed among the "World's Summer Mountain Resorts" in 2020. Due to its variable climate, climbing the mountain is challenging, yet thousands of tourists and mountaineers are still drawn to it each year.

Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Congxiao

Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang

Editor Ⅲ: Pan Kaiyue