The Chugach Mountains of southern

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

are the northernmost of the several

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

s that make up the

Pacific Coast Ranges The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States; ; ) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Althoug ...

of the western edge of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The range is about long and wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnagain Arms of the

Cook Inlet Cook Inlet (; Sugpiaq language, Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding ...

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 Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

, and Chitina rivers. The highest point of the Chugach Mountains is Mount Marcus Baker, at , but with an average elevation of , most of its summits are not especially high. Even so, its position along the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

ensures more snowfall in the Chugach than anywhere else in the world, an annual average of over 1500 cm (800 in).Steep, Freeskiing Documentary, 2007 The mountains are protected in the

Chugach State Park Chugach State Park covers 495,204 acres (2,004 square kilometers) covering a hilly region immediately east of Anchorage, in south-central Alaska. Established by legislation signed into law on August 6, 1970, by Alaska Governor Keith Harvey Mi ...

and the

Chugach National Forest The Chugach National Forest is a United States National Forest in south central Alaska. Covering portions of Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula and the Copper River (Alaska), Copper River Delta, it was formed in 1907 from part of a larger ...

. Near to

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

, they are a popular destination for outdoor activities. The Richardson Highway,

Seward Highway The Seward Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends from Seward, Alaska, Seward to Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage. It was completed in 1951 and runs through the scenic Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Turnagain Arm ...

, Portage Glacier Highway, and the

Glenn Highway The Glenn Highway (part of Alaska Route 1) is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, extending from Anchorage near Merrill Field to Glennallen on the Richardson Highway. The Tok Cut-Off is often considered part of the Glenn Highway, for a ...

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 Prince William Sound ( Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the ...

. On Mount Gordon Lyon, at about the level, is a five-pointed star using around 350 light globes. This faces

to be visible from the city at night. It is illuminated to commemorate

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, being lit from

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until

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; and, on

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. Maintenance is undertaken by the

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’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, although it was established in around 1960 and formerly maintained by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

having been near the former Army ( Nike missile Site Summit) in the mountains.Airmen help save holiday tradition in Alaska’s largest city

The Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are distributed to its members, major ...

/militarytimes.com, December 3, 2021

History

The name "Chugach" comes from Chugach Sugpiaq "Cuungaaciiq," Alaska Natives inhabiting the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

and

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 The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

captain William R. Abercrombie spelled the name "Chugatch" and applied it to the mountains. 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 In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...

during Russian times.

Mountains

The twelve highest peaks in the Chugach Mountains are listed below: Other important peaks in the Chugach Mountains include: * Mount Michelson * Bashful Peak * Mount Billy Mitchell * Mount Palmer * Eagle Peak * Polar Bear Peak * Mount Williwaw * The Ramp * North Yuyanq’ Ch’ex * Ptarmigan Peak * Byron Peak * Flattop Mountain * Bold Peak

Gallery

File:Bold Peak.JPG, Bold Peak File:North Suicide Peak. Chugach Mountains, Alaska..jpg, North Yuyanq’ Ch’ex File:Peters Creek backtounry below Mount Rumble.JPG, Peters Creek backcountry, below Mount Rumble File:Mount Eklutna.jpg, Mount Eklutna File:Bashful Peak.jpg, Bashful Peak, the tallest mountain in western Chugach State Park File:ChugachMountainStream.jpg, Small stream in the Chugach Mountains File:Bold Peak. Chugach Mountains, Alaska.jpg, Bold Peak File:First view of Twin Peaks near Eklutna Lake (3200967294).jpg,

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...

File:Mt. Rumble from the summit of Peak 5505. Chugach Mountains, Alaska - panoramio.jpg, Mount Rumble File:Goat Mountain. Chugach State Park, Alaska.jpg, Goat Mountain

References

External links

* {{Authority control Landforms of Chugach Census Area, Alaska Landforms of Copper River Census Area, Alaska Mountain ranges of Alaska Mountains of Anchorage, Alaska Mountains of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Mountains of Unorganized Borough, Alaska

History

Mountains

Gallery

See also

References

External links