Mount Frances is a mountain summit located in the

Kahiltna Glacier Kahiltna Glacier is the longest glacier of the Alaska Range in the U.S. state of Alaska. It starts on the southwest slope of Denali near Kahiltna Pass (elevation ). Its main channel runs almost due south between Mount Foraker to the west and Mo ...

valley in the

Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, mountain range in the Southcentral Alaska, southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoard on G ...

, in

Denali National Park and Preserve Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly known as Mount McKinley National Park, is a List of national parks of the United States, United States national park and National preserve, preserve located in Interior Alaska, centered on Denali (feder ...

, in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. It is situated north of the Kahiltna Glacier base camp for mountaineers attempting to climb

Denali Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helm ...

Mount Foraker Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

, or Mount Hunter. The summit of Mt. Frances is the best viewpoint from which to see all three giants from one location. Mount Frances is set southwest of Denali, northwest of Mount Hunter, and northwest of

Radio Control Tower Radio Control Tower is an elevation nunatak located in the Southeast Fork Kahiltna Glacier valley in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated west of the Kahiltna base camp for mountain ...

. Access to the area is via air taxi from

Talkeetna Talkeetna ( Dena'ina: ''K'dalkitnu'') is an unincorporated small village, incorporated by the United States Census Bureau within a larger same-named census-designated place (CDP), in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 ...

. The mountain's name honors Frances Randall (1925-1984), the first Denali Base Camp manager for nine climbing seasons (1974-1983). She was planning a tenth season, but cancer claimed her life. Her expertise was instrumental in coordinating many rescues that saved lives and earned her the nicknames ''Guardian Angel of McKinley'', and ''Kahiltna Queen''. She was a member of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, often playing the violin at base camp over the CB radio. In 1964 she became the sixth woman to reach the summit of

Mount McKinley Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helma ...

Climbing

Alpine routes at Mount FrancesMt. Francis Climbing at Mountain Project
/ref> * Scratch and Sniff - * Southwest Ridge - * South East Ridge - WI2

Gallery

File:Mount Frances from Denali Basecamp.jpg, Mount Frances seen behind US Army supplying Kahiltna Glacier Basecamp

References

External links

* Localized weather
Mountain Forecast
* Frances Randall at Denali (1977)
YouTube
(10 minutes in) * Two Climbers Killed in Avalanche on Mt. Frances

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frances, Mount Alaska Range Mountains of Denali National Park and Preserve Mountains of Denali Borough, Alaska Mountains of Alaska Three-thousanders of the United States

Climbing

Gallery

See also

References

External links