Editing Alaska Range

{{short description|North American mountain range}}
{{Infobox mountain
 | name              = Alaska Range
 | photo             = Peaks of the Alaska Range (1).jpg
 | photo_caption     = Mount Hunter, Mount Huntington and other rugged peaks of the Alaska Range near [[Denali]]
 | etymology         = 
 | country           = United States
 | state             = Alaska
 | parent            = [[American Cordillera]]
 | border            = [[Pacific Coast Ranges]]
 | geology           = 
 | period            = 
 | orogeny           = 
 | length_mi         = 
 | length_orientation = 
 | width_mi          = 
 | width_orientation = 
 | highest           = [[Denali]]
 | elevation_ft      = 20310
 | elevation_ref     = <ref name=usgs_hp>{{cite press release | url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/new-elevation-nation%E2%80%99s-highest-peak | publisher=USGS | title= New Elevation for Nation's Highest Peak | first1=Mark|last1=Newell | first2=Blaine|last2=Horner | date=September 2, 2015 |access-date=May 24, 2023}}</ref><ref name=otm>{{cite opentopomap|Denali|63.06909|-151.00626|2023-05-24}}</ref>
 | coordinates       = {{coord|63.0695|N|151.0074|W|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | coordinates_ref   = <ref name="gnis">{{cite gnis | id = 1414314 | name = Denali| access-date =2023-05-24}}</ref>
 | listing           = [[List of mountain ranges]]
 | map_image         = Relief map of Alaska Range.png
 | map_caption       = 
 | range_coordinates = 
 | range_coordinates_ref = 
 | fetchwikidata     = ALL
}}

The '''Alaska Range''' is a relatively narrow, {{convert|600|mi|km|adj=mid|-long|abbr=off|sp=us}} [[mountain range]] in the [[Southcentral Alaska|southcentral region]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Alaska]], from [[Lake Clark]] at its southwest end<ref name="sw_end">Sources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. The [http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html Board on Geographic Names] entry is inconsistent; part of it designates [[Iliamna Lake]] as the southwestern end, and part of the entry has the range ending at the Telaquana and Neacola Rivers. Other sources identify Lake Clark, in between those two, as the endpoint. This also means that the status of the [[Neacola Mountains]] is unclear: it is usually identified as the northernmost subrange of the [[Aleutian Range]], but it could also be considered the southernmost part of the Alaska Range.</ref> to the [[White River (Yukon)|White River]] in [[Canada]]'s [[Yukon Territory]] in the southeast. [[Denali]], the highest mountain in [[North America]], is in the Alaska Range. The range is part of the [[American Cordillera]].

The Alaska Range is one of the highest mountain ranges in the world, after the [[Himalayas]] and the [[Andes]].

==Description==
[[File:Mt. Hayes and the eastern Alaska Range mountains.jpg|thumb|left|Mount Hayes and the eastern Alaska Range mountains]]
[[File:Alaska range.jpg|thumb|right|alt=View of Alaska Range from Denali State Park| View from Denali State Park]]
The range forms a generally east–west arc with its northernmost part in the center, and from there trending southwest towards the [[Alaska Peninsula]] and the [[Aleutian Islands]], and trending southeast into [[British Columbia]] and the [[Pacific Coast Ranges]]. The mountains act as a high barrier to the flow of moist air from the [[Gulf of Alaska]] northwards, and thus have some of the harshest weather in the world. The heavy snowfall also contributes to a number of large [[glacier]]s, including the [[Cantwell Glacier|Cantwell]], [[Castner Glacier|Castner]], Black Rapids, [[Susitna Glacier|Susitna]], [[Yanert]], [[Muldrow Glacier|Muldrow]], [[Eldridge Glacier|Eldridge]], [[Ruth Glacier|Ruth]], [[Tokositna Glacier|Tokositna]], and [[Kahiltna Glacier|Kahiltna]] Glaciers. Four major rivers cross the Alaska Range, including the [[Delta River|Delta]] and [[Nenana River]]s in the center of the range and the [[Nabesna River|Nabesna]] and [[Chisana River]]s to the east.

[[File:Alaska Range Glacier.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Alaska Range Glacier]]
The range is part of the [[Pacific Ring of Fire]], and the [[Denali Fault]] that runs along its southern edge is responsible for many major [[earthquake]]s. [[Mount Spurr]] is a [[stratovolcano]] located at the northeastern end of the [[Aleutian Arc|Aleutian Volcanic Arc]] which has two vents, the summit and nearby Crater Peak.

Parts of the Alaska Range are protected within [[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]], [[Denali National Park and Preserve]], and [[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]. Several highways cross through the passes of the range: the [[George Parks Highway]] from [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] to [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] via Windy Pass, the [[Richardson Highway]] from [[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]] to Fairbanks via [[Isabel Pass]], and the [[Tok Cut-Off]] from Gulkana Junction to [[Tok, Alaska]] via [[Mentasta Pass]]. The [[Alaska Pipeline]] parallels the [[Richardson Highway]]. A part of the [[Alaska Highway]] is situated on the northern slopes of the eastern section of the range.

==History==
The name "Alaskan Range" appears to have been first applied to these mountains in 1869 by naturalist [[W. H. Dall]]. The name eventually became "Alaska Range" through local use. In 1849 {{interlanguage link|Constantin Grewingk|de}} applied the name "Tschigmit" to this mountain range. A map made by the [[United States General Land Office]] in 1869 calls the southwestern part of the Alaska Range the "Chigmit Mountains" and the northeastern part the "Beaver Mountains".<ref name="name_from_bgn">Name history from the [http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html Board on Geographic Names] entry for the Alaska Range.</ref> However, the [[Chigmit Mountains]] are now considered part of the [[Aleutian Range]].

Starting in the mid-1880s to early 1900s, early non-native explorers traversed various sections of the Alaska Range. The first recorded expedition was in the Eastern Alaska Range led by [[Henry Tureman Allen|H. T. Allen]] in 1885. His team went from Suslota Lake to Tetlin Lake and unto the [[Tanana River]] via Miles Pass.<ref name= moffit>{{cite report |author-first1= Fred H. |author-last1=Moffit |date= 1954 |title= Geology of the eastern part of the Alaska Range and adjacent area|url= https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0989d/report.pdf |publisher= US Department of the Interior, Geological Survey |access-date= 17 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="Yukon">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-WsBum6UckC&q=Henry+Tureman+Allen+Yukon:+The+Last+Frontier&pg=PA106|title=Yukon: The Last Frontier|author=Webb, Melody|pages=106–109|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|year=1993|isbn=0-7748-0441-6}}</ref> He noted that it would be possible to build a road from [[Prince William Sound]] to the [[Yukon River]].<ref name= naske>{{cite report |last1=Naske |first1=Claus |title=Alaska Road Commission Historical Narrative |date= June 1983 |publisher=State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities |url=https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/40615/dot_40615_DS1.pdf}}</ref> Six years later, [[Frederick Schwatka]] and Charles W. Hayes crossed the extreme eastern end of the range via the [[White River (Yukon)|White River]] and into the [[Copper River (Alaska)|Copper River]] basin through Skolai Pass in what is now called [[Saint Elias Mountains]]. In 1898, [[Walter Curran Mendenhall|W. C. Mendenhall]] and [[Edwin Forbes Glenn|E. F. Glenn]] traversed Isabel Pass and were within 15–20 miles of the Tanana River before turning around.<ref name=moffit/> Separately, that same year, [[Robert Muldrow]] and George Homans Eldridge crossed [[Broad Pass, Alaska|Broad Pass]] then Windy Pass into the [[Nenana River]] valley.<ref name=broad>{{cite report |author-first1= Fred H. |author-last1=Moffit|date= 1916 |title = Broad Pass Region, Alaska |url= https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0608/report.pdf| publisher=United States Geological Survey}}</ref>

==Major peaks==
[[File:Cordillera de Alaska desde Tok, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-29, DD 01-08 PAN.jpg|thumb|right|Alaska Range from [[Tok, Alaska|Tok]]]]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Name !!colspan=2|Elevation (ft/m)
|-
|[[Denali]]	|| {{elevation_cells|20310|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Foraker]] || {{elevation_cells|17400|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Hunter (Alaska)|Mount Hunter]] || {{elevation_cells|14,573|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Hayes]] || {{elevation_cells|13,832|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Silverthrone (Alaska)|Mount Silverthrone]] || {{elevation_cells|13,218|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Moffit]]  || {{elevation_cells|13,020|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Deborah]] || {{elevation_cells|12,339|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Huntington (Alaska)|Mount Huntington]] || {{elevation_cells|12,240|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Brooks (Alaska)|Mount Brooks]] || {{elevation_cells|11,890|ft}}
|-
|[[Mount Russell (Alaska)|Mount Russell]] || {{elevation_cells|11,670|ft}}
|}

==Subranges (from west to east)==
[[File:Alaska Range Mountain Peaks.jpg|thumb|right|Alaska Range Mountain Peaks]]
* [[Neacola Mountains]]<ref name="sw_end"/>
* [[Revelation Mountains]]
* Teocalli Mountains
* [[Kichatna Mountains]]
* Central Alaska Range/[[Denali]] Massif
* Eastern Alaska Range/[[Mount Hayes|Hayes]] Range
* [[Delta Mountains]]
* [[Mentasta Mountains]]
* [[Nutzotin Mountains]]

==Documented wilderness traverses of Alaska Range==
[[File:Craggyakrange.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Denali Highway]] passes through the Alaska Range and offers travelers a close up-look at some of the lower peaks]]
* [[Mentasta Lake, Alaska|Mentasta Lake]] to Kitchatna Mountains (1981): Scott Woolums, George Beilstein, Steve Eck, and Larry Coxen by [[Skiing|skis]]: first traverse. {{convert|375|mi|km}} in 45 days.<ref name=aaj1982>{{cite journal|title=Ski Traverse of the Whole Alaska Range|url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198213702|journal=American Alpine Journal|year=1982|volume=24|pages=137–138|access-date=2023-05-24}}</ref>
* Canada to [[Lake Clark (Alaska)|Lake Clark]] (1996): Roman Dial, Carl Tobin, and Paul Adkins by [[mountain bike]] and [[packraft]]: first full-length traverse. {{convert|775|mi|km}} in 42 days.<ref name=ng1997>{{cite magazine|title=A Wild Ride|magazine= National Geographic Magazine|year=1997|volume=191|pages=118–131}}</ref>
* Tok to Lake Clark (1996): Kevin Armstrong, Doug Woody, and Jeff Ottmers by snowshoe, foot, and packraft: first foot traverse. {{convert|620|mi|km}} in 90 days.<ref name=aaj1997>{{cite journal|title=Alaska Range Traverse|journal=American Alpine Journal|year=1997|volume=39|pages=169–170|url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199716900|access-date=2023-05-24}}</ref>
*Lake Clark to Mentasta Lake (2016): [[Gavin McClurg]] by [[Paragliding|paraglider]] and foot: first vol-biv (fly/camp) traverse. {{convert|466|mi|km}} in 37 days.<ref>Cross Country Magazine, Vol 171. Pages 52-52. Red Bull Media House Films "Under the Midnight Sun"</ref>
*[[Cantwell, Alaska|Cantwell]]/[[Yakutat, Alaska|Yakutat]] to [[Unimak Island]] (2020): Quoc Nguyen and Dan Binde by foot and packraft. {{convert|2,500|mi|km}} in 120 days.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|publisher=Aleutians East Borough|title=Hikers Cover 2,500 Miles to Reach Southernmost Portion on Unimak Island|work=|url=https://www.aleutianseast.org/vertical/sites/%7BEBDABE05-9D39-4ED4-98D4-908383A7714A%7D/uploads/In_the_Loop_-_11-6-20.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531134521/https://www.aleutianseast.org/vertical/sites/%7BEBDABE05-9D39-4ED4-98D4-908383A7714A%7D/uploads/In_the_Loop_-_11-6-20.pdf|archive-date=2022-05-31}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Summit Lake (Paxson, Alaska)|Summit Lake, Alaska]]
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==References==
[[File:Gulkanaglacier.JPG|thumb|[[Gulkana Glacier]] flows from the ice fields of the Alaska Range]]
{{reflist}}
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==Further reading==
{{Commons category}}
* Churkin, M. Jr., and C. Carter. (1996). ''Stratigraphy, structure, and graptolites of an Ordovician and Silurian sequence in the Terra Cotta Mountains, Alaska Range, Alaska'' [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1555]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Alaska Range| ]]
[[Category:Landforms of Bethel Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Copper River Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Yukon]]
[[Category:Mountains of Denali Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Mountains of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Mountains of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Mountains of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Mountains of Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]