McGinnis Mountain, also known as Mount McGinnis, is a mountain summit located in the

Boundary Ranges The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. They begin at the Nass River, near the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle in the Canadian pro ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. The peak is situated near the toe of the

Mendenhall Glacier Mendenhall Glacier () is a glacier about long located in Mendenhall Valley, about from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The glacier and surrounding landscape is protected as part of the Mendenhall Glacier R ...

, within

Tongass National Forest The Tongass National Forest () in Southeast Alaska is the largest U.S. National Forest at , an expanse larger than 10 U.S. states and 75 U.N. member nations. Most of its area is temperate rain forest and is remote enough to be home to many s ...

, north-northwest of

Juneau, Alaska Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...

, and north of

Juneau International Airport Juneau International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles (8 mi, 13 km) northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska w ...

. Although modest in elevation,

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

is significant since the mountain rises up from sea level at Auke Bay in less than five miles. McGinnis Mountain is often seen and photographed with Stroller White Mountain, a summit to the north because they are together in the background behind

Mendenhall Lake Mendenhall Lake is a proglacial lake in the Mendenhall Valley at the 1962 terminus of Mendenhall Glacier, north of the Juneau Airport in the Coast Mountains. It is the source of the short Mendenhall River. The lake is included in the Mende ...

, a popular tourist and recreation area.

History

The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1930 by the

United States 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 Mar ...

McGinnis Mountain takes its name from McGinnis Creek, which drains its northern slopes. McGinnis Creek in turn was originally named ''McInnis River'' in 1891 by John McInnis and Edward Brennan who had staked claims in the area. In 1903, the name was reported as McGinnis Creek by the

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 ...

.Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, Donald J. Orth author, United States Government Printing Office (1967), page 609

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 ...

, McGinnis Mountain is located in 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 ...

zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Mendenhall Glacier and

Juneau Icefield The Juneau Icefield is an ice field located just north of Juneau, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska, continuing north through the border with British Columbia, extending through an area of in the Coast Mountains, Coast Range ranging north to south and east ...

to the mountain's east. May and June are the best months for climbing in terms of catching favorable weather.

Gallery

File:McGinnis Mountain.jpg, McGinnis in winter File:McGinnis and Stroller White.jpg, McGinnis Mountain and Stroller White Mountain (right) in winter File:Mendenhall pan.jpg, McGinnis centered, seen with Stroller White, Mendenhall Glacier, and Nugget Falls from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center File:Auke Lake Blue Cold 461.jpg, McGinnis (left), Mendenhall Towers, and Mt. Wrather reflected in Auke Lake File:Mendenhall Glacier calm.jpg, McGinnis and Stroller White reflected in Mendenhall Lake

References

{{reflist

External links

* Weather forecast
McGinnis Mountain
Mountains of Juneau, Alaska Boundary Ranges One-thousanders of the United States

History

Climate

Gallery

See also

References

External links