Chugach Mountains
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The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnagain Arms of the Cook Inlet on the west to Bering Glacier, Tana Glacier, and the Tana River on the east. It is bounded on the north by the Matanuska, Copper, and Chitina rivers. The highest point of the Chugach Mountains is Mount Marcus Baker, at Template:Convert, but with an average elevation of Template:Convert, most of its summits are not especially high.<ref name=Chugach>Template:Cite gnis</ref> Even so, its position along the Gulf of Alaska ensures more snowfall in the Chugach than anywhere else in the world, an annual average of over 1500 cm (800 in).<ref>Steep, Freeskiing Documentary, 2007</ref>
The mountains are protected in the Chugach State Park and the Chugach National Forest. Near to Anchorage, they are a popular destination for outdoor activities.
The Richardson Highway, Seward Highway, Portage Glacier Highway, and the Glenn Highway run through the Chugach Mountains. The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel of the Portage Glacier Highway provides railroad and automobile access underneath Maynard Mountain between Portage Lake and the city of Whittier on Prince William Sound.
On Mount Gordon Lyon, at about the Template:Convert level, is a Template:Convert five-pointed star using around 350 light globes. This faces Anchorage to be visible from the city at night. It is illuminated to commemorate Christmas, being lit from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day; and, on 9/11. Maintenance is undertaken by the US Air Force’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, although it was established in around 1960 and formerly maintained by the US Army having been near the former Army (Nike missile Site Summit) in the mountains.<ref name=”2021-12-03_AP-MT”>Airmen help save holiday tradition in Alaska’s largest city, The Associated Press/militarytimes.com, December 3, 2021</ref>
HistoryEdit
The name "Chugach" comes from Chugach Sugpiaq "Cuungaaciiq," Alaska Natives inhabiting the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound on the south coast of Alaska. The Chugach people are an Alutiiq (Pacific Eskimo) people who speak the Chugach dialect of the Alutiiq language. In 1898 United States Army Captain William R. Abercrombie spelled the name "Chugatch" and applied it to the mountains.<ref name=Chugach/> It is possible that the Koniagmiut (Sugpiat or Alutiit of the Kodiak Archipelago and the Alaska Peninsula) may also have called these northern Sugpiat "Cuungaaciirmiut" in ancient times but it is also possible that this was a neologism during Russian times.
MountainsEdit
The twelve highest peaks in the Chugach Mountains are listed below:
Other important peaks in the Chugach Mountains include:
- Mount Michelson Template:Convert<ref name=Michelson>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Bashful Peak Template:Convert
- Mount Billy Mitchell Template:Convert<ref name=BillyMitchell>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Mount Palmer Template:Convert<ref name=Palmer>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Eagle Peak Template:Convert<ref name=Eagle>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Polar Bear Peak Template:Convert<ref name=PolarBear>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Mount Williwaw Template:Convert<ref name="gnisww">Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- The Ramp Template:Convert<ref name="gnistr">Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- North Yuyanq’ Ch’ex Template:Convert
- Ptarmigan Peak Template:Convert<ref name=Ptarmigan>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Byron Peak Template:Convert
- Flattop Mountain Template:Convert<ref name=Flattop>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Bold Peak Template:Convert
GalleryEdit
- Bold Peak.JPG
Bold Peak
- North Suicide Peak. Chugach Mountains, Alaska..jpg
North Yuyanq’ Ch’ex
- Peters Creek backtounry below Mount Rumble.JPG
Peters Creek backcountry, below Mount Rumble
- Mount Eklutna.jpg
Mount Eklutna
- Bashful Peak.jpg
Bashful Peak, the tallest mountain in western Chugach State Park
- ChugachMountainStream.jpg
Small stream in the Chugach Mountains
- Bold Peak. Chugach Mountains, Alaska.jpg
Bold Peak
- First view of Twin Peaks near Eklutna Lake (3200967294).jpg
- Mt. Rumble from the summit of Peak 5505. Chugach Mountains, Alaska - panoramio.jpg
- Goat Mountain. Chugach State Park, Alaska.jpg