Fireweed Mountain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fireweed Mountain
Aerial view from west-northwest
Highest point
Elevation	6,956 ft (2,120 m)
Prominence	3,356 ft (1,023 m)
Isolation	8.62 mi (13.87 km)
Parent peak	Bonanza Peak
Geography
Fireweed Mountain Location in Alaska
Location	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Valdez-Cordova Borough Alaska, United States
Parent range	Wrangell Mountains
Topo map	USGS McCarthy B-6

Fireweed Mountain is a cool mountain in Alaska, USA. It stands tall at 6,956 feet (2,120 meters) in the Wrangell Mountains. This mountain is part of the huge Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve. It's located near the end of the Kennicott Glacier and about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of a town called McCarthy.

Water from Fireweed Mountain flows into rivers like the Chitina River and then into the big Copper River.

Want to know how it got its name? In the 1920s, a 17-year-old girl named Molly Gilmore, who lived nearby, named it! She saw lots of beautiful fireweed flowers growing on the mountain after some forest fires. Fireweed is a very common flower in Alaska, but this is the only mountain named after it! The name became official in 1966 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.

On a clear day, if you are at the top of Fireweed Mountain, you can see amazing views of Mount Blackburn to the northwest and Regal Mountain to the northeast.

Climate and Weather

Fireweed Mountain is in a subarctic climate zone. This means it has long, cold, and snowy winters. The summers are usually cool.

Weather systems from the Gulf of Alaska hit the Wrangell Mountains. This forces the air upwards, causing a lot of rain and snow to fall. Temperatures can drop really low, sometimes below -20 °C (-4 °F). With the wind, it can feel even colder, below -30 °C (-22 °F)!

The best time to visit Fireweed Mountain for clear views or climbing is usually from May through June.

See also

In Spanish: Montaña Fireweed para niños