Wrangell Mountains

The Wrangell Mountains are a high mountain range of eastern Alaska in the United States. Much of the range is in the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve. The Wrangell Mountains were made by volcanoes. The second and third tallest volcanoes in the United States, Mount Blackburn and Mount Sanford are there. The range takes its name from Mount Wrangell, which is one of the largest shield volcanoes in the world. It is also the only mountain in the range that is an active volcano.

Wrangell Mountains
Mount Wrangell as seen from the southwest in 1987
Highest point
Peak	Mount Blackburn
Elevation	16,390 ft (4,996 m)
Coordinates	61°43′54″N 143°25′59″W
Geography
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Range coordinates	61°48′N 143°30′W
Parent range	Yukon Ranges
Borders on	Saint Elias Mountains and Chugach Mountains

The Wrangell Mountains are just to the northwest of the Saint Elias Mountains and northeast of the Chugach Mountains. There are so many mountains there that they block the warm moist air over the Pacific Ocean. Because of this places north of the Wrangell Mountains are some of the coldest areas of North America during the winter.

Major peaks

Mount Sanford

Hikers on a pass between Mt. Sanford and Mt. Drum

The Wrangell Mountains include 12 of the 40+ Alaskan peaks over 13,000 feet (4,000 m)

• Mount Blackburn, 16,390 feet (4,996 m), and East Summit, 16,286 ft (4,964 m)
• Mount Sanford], 16,237 feet (4,949 m), and South Peak, 13,654 ft (4,162 m)
• Mount Wrangell, 14,163 feet (4,317 m), and West Summit, 14,013 ft (4,271 m)
• Atna Peaks, 13,860 ft (4,225 m)
• Regal Mountain, 13,845 ft (4,220 m)
• Mount Jarvis, 13,421 feet (4,091 m), and North Peak, 13,025 ft (3,970 m)
• Parka Peak, 13,280 ft (4,048 m)
• Mount Zanetti, 13,009 ft (3,965 m)

Another prominent mountain is Mount Drum, 12,010 ft (3,661 m), which can be seen from a very long way away.

Name

The Wrangell Mountains are named after an explorer who was also president of the Russian-American Company, Admiral Ferdinand von Wrangel. American folk singer John Denver wrote a song, "Wrangell Mountain Song", in reference to the range.

Sources

• Richter, Donald H.; Rosenkrans, Danny S.; Steigerwald, Margaret J. (1995). Guide to the Volcanoes of the Western Wrangell Mountains, Alaska. USGS Bulletin 2072.

• Winkler, Gary R. (2000). A Geologic Guide to Wrangell—Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska: A Tectonic Collage of Northbound Terranes. USGS Professional Paper 1616. ISBN 0-607-92676-7.

• Richter, Donald H.; Preller, Cindi C.; Labay, Keith A.; Shew, Nora B. (2006). Geologic Map of the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. USGS Scientific Investigations Map 2877.

• Wood, Charles A.; Kienle, Jürgen (1990). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.

Other websites

• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
• Wrangell Mountains Center