The Koyukon Athabascan people called it Denali - 'the High One' - long before any European saw its ice-covered flanks. A gold prospector named it Mount McKinley in 1896, honoring a presidential candidate from Ohio who had never been to Alaska and never would visit. The imposed name lasted over a century despite Alaskan objections. In 2015, the original name was restored: Denali, the High One, North America's tallest mountain at 20,310 feet. The height alone doesn't capture the scale. Everest rises from an already-high plateau; Denali rises from a 2,000-foot base, its vertical relief greater than any mountain on Earth. The High One dominates the Alaska Range, visible from Anchorage 130 miles away, a mountain so large it creates its own weather.
Denali's mass is staggering. The summit ice cap is permanent; glaciers flow for miles down every face. The Kahiltna Glacier, primary approach route, is 44 miles long. The mountain generates its own weather systems - storms can materialize instantly, with temperatures dropping to -40°F and winds exceeding 100 mph. The vertical relief exceeds 18,000 feet from base to summit; no mountain on Earth rises higher above its surrounding terrain. The Alaska Range continues east and west, but Denali dominates, a single massif of granite and ice that becomes the focal point of everything within a hundred miles. On clear days, pilots report seeing the mountain from 200 miles away.
Approximately 1,200 climbers attempt Denali each year; about half succeed. The standard West Buttress route takes two to three weeks, with camps ascending the Kahiltna Glacier before the final push to the summit. The primary challenge isn't technical difficulty but altitude, weather, and cold. The summit is equivalent to 23,000 feet elsewhere - the high latitude means less atmospheric protection. Frostbite, pulmonary edema, and falls kill climbers regularly; more than 100 have died on the mountain. Rescue is difficult; the National Park Service maintains a ranger station at 14,000 feet, but above that, climbers are largely on their own. The mountain demands respect, and punishes those who arrive without it.
The fight over the name took 40 years. Alaska officially restored 'Denali' in 1975, but federal nomenclature required Congressional action, and Ohio's delegation blocked every attempt. William McKinley, the name's referent, was an Ohio son; his memory was politically protected. The compromise came through executive action in 2015: President Obama directed the Secretary of the Interior to recognize Denali as the official name, bypassing Congress. Ohio politicians objected; Alaska celebrated. The change acknowledged what Indigenous peoples had always known: the High One needed no politician's name. The mountain had always been Denali; the paperwork finally caught up.
Denali National Park encompasses six million acres - larger than Massachusetts. A single road penetrates 92 miles; private vehicles are restricted to the first 15 miles. Shuttle buses provide access deeper into the park, offering wildlife viewing (grizzly bears, caribou, wolves, moose) and increasingly clear views of the mountain, weather permitting. The mountain is visible only about 30% of summer days; clouds frequently obscure it entirely. When it emerges, the scale shocks: visitors who've seen the mountain in photographs are unprepared for how it dominates the horizon. The park protects complete ecosystems, from taiga forest to alpine tundra, with wildlife densities higher than most of North America.
Denali National Park is located 240 miles north of Anchorage, accessible via the Parks Highway or Alaska Railroad. The park entrance is at milepost 237; the main visitor center provides orientation and bus tickets. Transit and tour buses are the only public vehicles permitted beyond mile 15; reserve seats ahead during peak season (June-August). Wonder Lake, at mile 85, offers classic Denali views (when the mountain appears). Camping is available at multiple campgrounds; backcountry permits allow wilderness camping. Mountaineering requires advance registration and demonstrates self-rescue capability. Summer brings 20+ hours of daylight; winter brings aurora and cold. The experience depends on weather - the mountain may hide for your entire visit, or emerge in glory that makes the journey worthwhile.
Located at 63.07°N, 151.01°W in the Alaska Range of interior Alaska. From altitude, Denali is unmistakable - a massive white mountain rising above everything around it, glaciers radiating in all directions. The summit reaches 20,310 feet; no peak within hundreds of miles approaches its height. The Kahiltna Glacier extends south like a frozen river; the Ruth Glacier creates its own dramatic canyon. The park spreads around the mountain, six million acres of roadless wilderness except for the single park road visible winding east from the entrance. Anchorage is visible to the south on clear days; Fairbanks lies north beyond the Alaska Range. What appears from altitude as the dominant feature of an already-dramatic landscape is North America's highest peak - the High One, finally bearing the name its original inhabitants always used.