Mountain
Mount Saint Elias
At 18,008 ft, the second-highest peak in the U.S. and Canada, rising about 11 miles from the Pacific.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve · NPS
- Elevation
- 18008 ft
- Range
- Saint Elias Mountains
- First ascent year
- 1897
- First ascent party
- Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, with Vittorio Sella and party
- Climbing notes
- Infrequently climbed due to bad weather and difficult routes; discuss plans with park rangers.
Mount Saint Elias (Tlingit Was'eitushaa, "mountain at the head of Icy Bay") rises 18,008 feet on the Alaska-Yukon border, about 11 miles from the ocean. It is the second-highest mountain in both the United States and Canada and is infrequently climbed because of severe weather and difficult routes. The first ascent was made in 1897 by an Italian expedition led by Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi. The mountain is sacred to the Yakutat Tlingit Kwáashk'i Kwáan clan. On clear days it is visible from Yakutat-area lakes and beaches.
Location
In pictures
Flightseeing · Mountaineering · Photography
Sources
- Yakutat (Wrangell-St. Elias)National Park Service · Accessed 2026-11-09
- Mount Saint EliasWikipedia · Accessed 2026-11-09
- Situk Lake TrailSoutheast Alaska Trails System (SeaTrails) · Accessed 2026-11-09
- Yakutat Tlingit and Mount St. Elias (ethnographic study)National Park Service · Accessed 2026-11-09
- Travel Alaska, Inside PassageTravel Alaska
Last updated 2026-11-09