The
Saint Elias Mountains are a subgroup of the
Pacific Coast RangesThe Pacific Coast Ranges and the Pacific Mountain System are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico...
, located in southeastern
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, southwestern
YukonYukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
and the very far northwestern part of
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The range spans
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and PreserveWrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park in southeastern Alaska. It was established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The park area is included in an International Biosphere Reserve and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
in the USA and
Kluane National Park and ReserveKluane National Park and Reserve are two units of Canada's national park system, located in the extreme southwestern corner of Yukon Territory. Kluane National Park Reserve was established in 1972, covering 22,016 square kilometres....
in Canada and includes all of Glacier Bay National Park in
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. In Alaska, the range includes parts of the city/borough of Yakutat and the Hoonah-Angoon and
Valdez-CordovaValdez-Cordova Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 10,195. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
census areas.
Geology
Although most of the range is non-volcanic, portions at the western end near the
Wrangell MountainsThe Wrangell Mountains are a high mountain range of eastern Alaska in the United States. Much of the range is included in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve. The Wrangell Mountains are almost entirely volcanic in origin, and they include the second and third highest volcanoes in the...
are volcanic. This region includes two major
stratovolcanoA stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
es,
Mount ChurchillMount Churchill is a volcano in the Saint Elias Mountains and the Wrangell Volcanic Field of eastern Alaska. Churchill and its higher neighbor Mount Bona about to the southwest are both large ice-covered stratovolcanoes, with Churchill being the fourth highest volcano in the United States and the...
and
Mount BonaMount Bona is one of the major mountains of the Saint Elias Mountains in eastern Alaska, and is the fifth highest independent peak in the United States. Mount Bona and its adjacent neighbor Mount Churchill are both large ice-covered stratovolcanoes...
, the latter being the highest volcano in the United States. West of the Saint Elias Mountains is the still-active Fairweather Fault, which is the northward extension of the
Queen Charlotte FaultThe Queen Charlotte Fault is an active transform fault, located between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate, Canada's equivalent of the San Andreas Fault. The Queen Charlotte Fault forms a triple junction on its south with the Cascadia subduction zone and the Explorer Ridge...
. The St. Elias range is a result of 10 million years of the North American tectonic plate pushing material up as it overrides the Pacific plate, then the material being worn down by glaciers.
Highest mountains
The highest mountains of the range include:
! rowspan="2" | Mountain
! colspan="2" | Height
! rowspan="2" | Location
! rowspan="2" | Notes
|-
! m
! ft
|->
Mount LoganMount Logan is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest peak in North America, after Mount McKinley . The mountain was named after Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada . Mount Logan is located within Kluane National Park and...
|
5,959 |
19,850 |
Yukon |
Highest mountain in Canada |
Mount Saint EliasMount Saint Elias, also designated Boundary Peak 186, is the second highest mountain in both Canada and the United States, being situated on the Yukon and Alaska border. It lies about southwest of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada. The Canadian side is part of Kluane National Park,...
|
5,489 |
18,008 |
Alaska-Yukon |
Second highest in both Canada and the United States |
| Mount Lucania Mount Lucania is the third highest mountain located entirely in Canada. A long ridge connects Mt. Lucania with Mount Steele , the fifth highest in Canada. Lucania was named by the Duke of Abruzzi, as he stood on the summit of Mount Saint Elias on July 31, 1897, having just completed the first accent...
|
5,226 |
17,147 |
Yukon |
#3 in Canada |
| King Peak King Peak is the fourth highest mountain in Canada and the ninth highest peak in North America. Situated just west of Mount Logan , it is considered a satellite peak of that massive mountain.- Climbing history :...
|
5,173 |
16,971 |
Yukon |
#4 in Canada |
| Mount Steele Mount Steele is the fifth highest mountain in Canada and the eleventh highest peak in North America. A lower southeast peak of Mt. Steele stands at 4,300m ....
|
5,073 |
16,644 |
Yukon |
#5 in Canada |
| Mount Bona Mount Bona is one of the major mountains of the Saint Elias Mountains in eastern Alaska, and is the fifth highest independent peak in the United States. Mount Bona and its adjacent neighbor Mount Churchill are both large ice-covered stratovolcanoes...
|
5,005 |
16,421 |
Alaska |
#5 in the United States |
| Mount Wood Mount Wood is the seventh highest mountain in Canada and is located in Kluane National Park and Reserve.-See also:* Highest mountain peaks of Canada* Table of the highest major summits of North America...
|
4,842 |
15,885 |
Yukon |
|
| Mount Vancouver Mount Vancouver is the eighth highest mountain in Canada and is located in Kluane National Park and Reserve on the Canada-US border. Mt. Vancouver has three summits: north, middle and south with middle being the lowest. The south summit borders Canada and the United States and is known as Good...
|
4,812 |
15,787 |
Yukon |
|
Mount ChurchillMount Churchill is a volcano in the Saint Elias Mountains and the Wrangell Volcanic Field of eastern Alaska. Churchill and its higher neighbor Mount Bona about to the southwest are both large ice-covered stratovolcanoes, with Churchill being the fourth highest volcano in the United States and the...
|
4,766 |
15,638 |
Alaska |
|
| Mount Slaggard Mount Slaggard is the tenth highest peak in Canada and is located in Kluane National Park and Reserve.-See also:* 4000 metre peaks of Canada* 4000 metre peaks of North America* Mountain peaks of Canada* Mountain peaks of North America-References:* *...
|
4,742 |
15,557 |
Yukon |
|
| Mount Macaulay |
4,690 |
15,387 |
Yukon |
|
Mount FairweatherMount Fairweather , is one of the world's highest coastal mountains at 4,671 metres It is located east of the Pacific Ocean on the border of Alaska, United States and western British Columbia, Canada...
|
4,671 |
15,325 |
BC-Alaska |
#1 in BC |
| Mount Hubbard Mount Hubbard is one of the major mountains of the Saint Elias Range. It is located on the Alaska/Yukon border; the Canadian side is within Kluane National Park and Reserve, and the American side is part of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park...
|
4,577 |
15,015 |
Yukon |
|
| Mount Bear Mount Bear is a high, glaciated peak in the Saint Elias Mountains of Alaska. It lies within Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park, about 4 miles west of the Yukon border. The Barnard Glacier flows from its southwest slopes, while the Klutlan Glacier lies to the north...
|
4,520 |
14,831 |
Alaska |
|
| Mount Walsh Mount Walsh is a mountain in Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon, Canada.The peak was named after a RCMP superintendent for the Yukon Territory, James Morrow Walsh.-See also:* 4000 metre peaks of Canada* 4000 metre peaks of North America...
|
4,507 |
14,787 |
Yukon |
|
| Mount Alverstone Mount Alverstone, or Boundary Peak 180, is a high peak in the Saint Elias Mountains, on the border between Alaska and Yukon. It shares a large massif with the higher Mount Hubbard to the south and the slightly lower Mount Kennedy to the east...
|
4,439 |
14,565 |
Alaska-Yukon |
|
| University Peak |
4,410 |
14,470 |
Alaska |
|
| McArthur Peak McArthur Peak is a peak in the Saint Elias Mountains of Yukon, Canada. The peak, 15th highest in the Yukon, sits 11 km NE of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada. A secondary peak two kilometres to the east is known as McArthur East...
|
4,389 |
14,400 |
Yukon |
|
| Mount Augusta Mount Augusta, also designated Boundary Peak 183, is a high peak of the Saint Elias Mountains on the border between the U.S. state of Alaska and the Canadian territory of Yukon....
|
4,289 |
14,070 |
Alaska-Yukon |
|
| Mount Kennedy Mount Kennedy is a peak in the Saint Elias Mountains within Kluane National Park, in Yukon, Canada. Its 4250-m to 4300-m summit lies within 10 km of the Alaska Panhandle. Dusty Glacier lies against it to the north....
|
4,250-4300 |
~14,000 |
Yukon |
|
| Mount Cook Mount Cook is a high peak on the Yukon Territory-Alaska border, in the Saint Elias Mountains of North America. It is approximately 15 miles southwest of Mount Vancouver and 35 miles east-southeast of Mount Saint Elias. It forms one of the corners of the jagged border, which is defined to run in...
|
4,196 |
13,766 |
Alaska-Yukon |