Mount Huxley (Alaska) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Huxley |
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Aerial view looking south with Huxley centered in the distance
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 12,216 ft (3,723 m) |
| Prominence | 2,016 ft (614 m) |
| Isolation | 2.56 mi (4.12 km) |
| Parent peak | Mount Saint Elias |
| Geography | |
 Mount Huxley
Location in Alaska
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| Location | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Yakutat Borough Alaska, United States |
| Parent range | Saint Elias Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Bering Glacier B-1 |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | June 9, 1996 by Paul Claus |
| Easiest route | Mountaineering expedition |
Mount Huxley is a huge mountain in Alaska, standing 12,216 feet (3,723 meters) tall. It's covered in glaciers and is part of the Saint Elias Mountains. You can find it inside the amazing Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
This remote peak is about 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Yakutat. It's also close to Mount Saint Elias, another giant mountain. Mount Huxley is surrounded by large glaciers. These include the Columbus Glacier and Bagley Icefield to the north. The Tyndall Glacier is to the south, and the Yahtse Glacier is to the west. All the water from the mountain eventually flows into the Gulf of Alaska.
The mountain got its name in 1886 from an English mountaineer named Harold Ward Topham. He named it after Thomas Henry Huxley, a famous English biologist. The name was officially changed to Mount Huxley in 1968 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
The first time someone reached the top was on June 9, 1996. A pilot named Paul Claus landed his plane at 11,500 feet. He then climbed the last 700 feet to the summit. The second time it was climbed, and the first time from the very bottom, was in June 2018. Scott Peters, Andrew Peter, and Ben Iwrey made this climb. They started from the Columbus Glacier.
Understanding Mount Huxley's Weather
Mount Huxley has a very specific type of weather. It's in a subarctic climate zone. This means it has long, very cold, and snowy winters. The summers are cool, but not warm.
Weather systems often come from the Gulf of Alaska. When they reach the Saint Elias Mountains, the air is forced to rise. This process is called orographic lift. As the air rises, it cools down and drops a lot of rain and snow. This is why the area gets so much precipitation.
Temperatures on Mount Huxley can drop very low. They can go below −20 °C (–4 °F). With the wind, it can feel even colder, sometimes below −30 °C (–22 °F). If you want to see or climb this mountain, the best time is usually from May through June. The weather is most favorable then.
