Mount La Perouse is a glaciated mountain summit located in the Fairweather Range of the

Saint Elias Mountains The Saint Elias Mountains () are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in southeastern Alaska in the United States, Southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada. The range spans Wrangell-St. Elias ...

, in southeast

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 ...

, United States. The peak is situated in

Glacier Bay National Park Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in Southeast Alaska west of Juneau, Alaska, Juneau. President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the area around Glacier ...

, southeast of Mount Dagelet, south-southeast of Mount Crillon which is the nearest higher peak, and southeast of

Mount Fairweather Mount Fairweather (or ''Tsalxaan'' in the Tlingit language) is a mountain located east of the Pacific Ocean on the Canada–United States border. With an elevation of , it is the tallest mountain in British Columbia and the seventh-tallest mou ...

, which is the highest peak in the Fairweather Range.

Topographic relief Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

is significant as the mountain rises up from tidewater in less than nine miles. The mountain was named in 1874 by

William Healey Dall William Healey Dall (August 21, 1845 – March 27, 1927) was an American natural history, naturalist, a prominent Malacology, malacologist, and one of the earliest scientific explorers of interior Alaska. He described many mollusks of the Pacifi ...

of the

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...

, for

Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse Commodore (rank), Commodore Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (; 23 August 1741 – ) was a French Navy officer and explorer. Having enlisted in the Navy at the age of 15, he had a successful career and in 1785 was appointed to lea ...

(1741–1788), a French navigator who explored this coastal area in 1786. On February 16, 2014, a colossal 68 million ton landslide broke free from the flanks of Mt. La Perouse and flowed nearly from where it originated. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing and viewing. The first ascent of the peak was made on August 15, 1952 by a

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

party consisting of James Seitz, Karl Stauffer, Rowland Tabor, Rolland Reid, and Paul Bowen.

Climate

Based on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Mount La Perouse has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below with wind chill factors below . This climate supports hanging glaciers on its slopes as well as the immense Brady Glacier to the east, Finger Glacier to the south, and La Perouse Glacier to the north and west. Precipitation runoff and meltwater from its glaciers drains into 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 ...

Gallery

File:Brady Glacier Mt. La Perouse.jpg, Brady Glacier / Mt. La Perouse File:Mount La Perouse.jpg File:La Perouse, tidewater glacier icefall, August 31, 1977 (GLACIERS 5579).jpg, Mt. La Perouse / La Perouse Glacier by Austin Post. 1977 File:Mount La Perouse from SW.jpg, Mount La Perouse with Finger Glacier, from southwest File:Brady Glacier and Mount La Perouse, icefall and icefield, September 12, 1973 (GLACIERS 5758).jpg, Mount La Perouse and Brady Glacier. 1973

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite aaj , article_id=12195343400 , title=Ascent of Mount La Perouse , year=1953 , volume=8 , issue=3 , first=James F., last=Seitz , access-date=2025-03-21

Climate

Gallery

See also

References

External links