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You are here: Home / Geography / What Is the Highest Mountain In the United States and How Tall Is Mount McKinley In Alaska?

What Is the Highest Mountain In the United States and How Tall Is Mount McKinley In Alaska?

June 4, 2020 by Karen Hill

Mount McKinley in Alaska, also called Denali, its Native American name, is the highest mountain in the United States, at 20,320 feet (6,194 m).

It’s also the highest mountain in North America.

Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton that has been uplifted by tectonic pressure, and is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.

A gold prospector named it “McKinley” in the late 1890s as political support for then presidential candidate William McKinley of Ohio.

The next 16 highest peaks in the United States are also in Alaska.

Ranked at number 18 is Mount Whitney in California, at 14,494 feet (4,418 m).

The next three highest mountains are in Colorado: Mount Elbert, Mount Massive, and Mount Harvard.

Related Facts

  • Why Is Mount McKinley Also Called Denali and Who Is Mount McKinley Named After?
  • What Is the Highest Mountain In Canada and How Tall Is Mount Logan In the Southwestern Yukon Near Alaska?
  • What Is the Tallest Mountain In the United States and the Tallest Mountain In Hawaii?
  • How is Mount Mauna Kea in Hawaii the Tallest Mountain in the World and Taller Than Mount Everest?
  • How did the United States buy Alaska and When was the Treaty of Cession signed?
  • What Is the Highest Mountain In Japan and Is Mount Fuji an Active Volcano?

Filed Under: Geography

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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