Alaska Borough Prominences 1

1 © 2008 Adam Helman

Heading explanation:

Borough - political region
Peak - mountain's identity
Status - highpoint (HP), most prominent point (PP), or both
Prominence - topographic prominence (best current estimate)
Elevation - peak elevation (feet)
Peak Coordinates - mountain's latitude and longitude (NAD27 datum)
Saddle - key saddle elevation (feet)
Coordinates - key saddle's latitude and longitude (NAD27 datum)
Notes - additional information. "Parent" refers to the prominence-based parent.

Borough Peak Status Prominence Elevation Peak Coordinates Saddle Coordinates Notes
*********** ****** ******** *************** ************ ****** *************** ********* *************** *******
Aleutians East Shishaldin Volcano HP and PP 9,372 9,372 (54°45'22"N, 163°57'58"W) N/A N/A Unimak Island HP
Aleutians West Mount Vsevidof HP and PP 6,920 6,9201 (53°07'34"N, 168°41'30"W) N/A N/A Umnak Island HP
Anchorage Bashful Peak HP and PP 5,255±50 8,005 (61°18'29"N, 148°52'04"W) 2,750±50 (61°02'48"N, 148°48'44"W) Parent is Mount Marcus-Baker (13,176 feet)
Bethel Mount Hesperus HP and PP 6,978±50 9,828 (61°48'15"N, 154°08'39"W) 2,850±50 (61°25'00"N, 152°43'55"W) Also called "North Buttress".
Parent is Mount Torbert (11,413 feet).
Bristol Bay unnamed HP and PP 586±25 1,061 (58°50'17"N, 156°19'33"W) 475±25 (58°53'09"N, 156°16'38"W) Parent is unnamed (1,840 feet)
at (58°51'50"N, 156°10'25"W).
Denali Denali (Mount McKinley) HP and PP 20,156-20,189 20,320 (63°04'11"N, 151°00'16"W) 131-164 Nicaragua North American HP and PP.
Parent is Aconcagua (22,841 feet).
Dillingham see note [2] HP and PP see note [2] see note [2] see note [2] 775±25 (60°38'21"N, 156°54'42"W) See note [2]
Fairbanks North Star West Point HP and PP 2,915±50 5,865 (64°57'15"N, 144°40'45"W) 2,950±50 (64°54'23"N, 144°03'35"W) See note [3]
Haines Chunekukleik Mtn PP 4,770±50 5,820 (59°17'32"N, 135°57'04"W) 1,050±50 (59°16'42"N, 136°09'47"W) Parent is Buckwell Peak (8,927 feet)
at (59°25'08"N, 136°45'48"W).
Mount Nesselrode HP 3,455±50 8,105 (58°57'45"N, 134°18'43"W) 4,650±50 (58°43'25"N, 133°53'12"W) Parent is Devils Paw (8,584 feet).
Juneau Snow Tower PP 6,122±50 6,572 (58°10'22"N, 133°23'57"W) 450±50 (58°11'52"N, 133°31'32"W)
Devils Paw HP 5,634±50 8,584 (58°43'47"N, 133°50'19"W) 2,950±50 see note [4]
Kenai Peninsula Redoubt Volcano PP 9,137±50 10,187 (60°29'09"N, 152°44'29"W) 1,050±50 (60°49'13"N, 152°42'51"W) Key saddle at Lake Clark Pass.
Parent is Denali (Mount McKinley).
Mount Torbert HP 8,688±25 11,413 (61°24'32"N, 152°24'36"W) 2,725±25 see note [5] Parent is Denali (Mount McKinley).
Ketchikan Gateway Mount Reid HP and PP 4,592 4,592 (55°42'24"N, 131°14'41"W) N/A N/A Revillagigedo Island HP
Kodiak Island Koniag Peak PP 4,470 4,470 (57°21'23"N, 153°19'21"W) N/A N/A Kodial Island HP
see note [6] HP 3,500±100 7,550±50 see note [6] 4,050±50 see note [6] Parent is Mount Griggs (7,650±50 feet)
Lake and Peninsula Mount Veniaminof PP 8,200±25 8,225 (56°13'12"N, 159°17'45"W) 25±25 (56°32'21"N, 159°06'32"W) see note [7]
liner on unnamed 9,426 HP 0 9,200+ (60°47'51"N, 153°23'42"W) N/A N/A
Matanuska-Susitna Mount Marcus-Baker PP 10,751±25 13,176 (61°26'16"N, 147°45'00"W) 2,425±25 ca (62 1/4° N, 146 1/2° W) Parent is Mount Hayes (13,832 feet).
Mount Hunter HP 4,623±50 14,573 (62°57'03"N, 151°05'20"W) 9,950±50 (62°58'06"N, 151°04'20"W) Parent is Denali (Mount McKinley).
Nome Mount Osborn HP and PP 4,314-4,339 4,714 (64°59'34"N, 165°19'36"W) 375-400 see note [8] Parent is Mount Igikpak (8,276 feet).
North Slope Mount Chamberlin HP and PP 7,970±50 9,020 (69°16'39"N, 144°54'27"W) 1,050±50 (67°42'N, 136°27'W) Key saddle is McDougall Pass (Yukon).
Parent is Mount Fairweather or Mount Hubbard.
Northwest Arctic Mount Igikpak HP and PP 6,126±50 8,276 (67°24'48"N, 154°57'44"W) 2,150±50 (68°08'47"N, 151°43'16"W) Key saddle is Anaktuvuk Pass.
Parent is Mount Chamberlin (9,020 feet).
Prince of Wales-
Outer Ketchikan		 unnamed PP 4,330 6,635 (56°00'05"N, 130°18'15"W) 2,305 (56°03'12"N, 130°15'32"W) Key saddle is near Texas Lake.
Mount John Jay HP 2,049±50 7,499 (56°08'28"N, 130°25'30"W) 5,450±50 (56°09'10"N, 130°20'11"W)
Sitka unnamed HP and PP 5,390 5,390 (57°00'55"N, 134°59'11"W) N/A N/A Baranof Island HP
Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Mount Fairweather HP and PP 12,944±44 15,300 (58°54'24"N, 137°31'27"W) 2,356±44 see note [9] Parent is Mount Logan (19,550 feet).
Southeast Fairbanks Mount Hayes HP and PP 11,487 13,832 (63°37'13"N, 146°42'54"W) 2,345 (63°17'03"N, 149°12'12"W) Parent is Denali (Mount McKinley).
Valdez-Cordova Mount Blackburn PP 11,640±50 16,390 (61°43'55"N, 143°26'06"W) 4,750±50 (61°38'33"N, 141°55'48"W) Key saddle is Skolal Pass.
Parent is Mount Logan (19,550 feet).
Mount Bona HP 6,900±100 16,550±50 (61°23'09"N, 141°44'52"W) 9,650±50 see note [10] Parent is Mount Lucania (17,260 feet).
Wade Hampton unnamed PP 2,405-2,430 2,430 (62°00'09"N, 164°35'48"W) 0-25 see note [11] Parent is unnamed (3,386 feet)
at (61°40'00"N, 159°10'24"W).
unnamed HP 1,830±25 2,905 (62°55'45"N, 161°44'36"W) 1,075±25 (63°04'54"N, 161°47'48"W) Parent is unnamed (3,408 feet)
at (63°03'19"N, 161°21'25"W).
Wrangell-Petersburg Kates Needle HP and PP 4,490-4,621 10,002 (57°02'43"N, 132°02'36"W) 5,381-5,512 (57°14'12"N, 132°09'06"W)
Yakutat Mount Fairweather PP 12,944±44 15,300 (58°54'24"N, 137°31'27"W) 2,356±44 see note [9] Parent is Mount Logan (19,550 feet).
Mount Saint Elias HP 11,184-11,315 18,008 (60°17'34"N, 140°55'42"W) 6,693-6,824 ca (60°24'N, 140°55'W) Parent is Mount Logan (19,550 feet).
Yukon-Koyukuk Poss Mountain PP 4,430±50 6,180 (67°26'28"N, 149°43'00"W) 1,750±50 (67°28'00"N, 149°17'00"W) Parent is Mount Chamberlin (9,020 feet).
see note [12] HP see note [12] see note [12] see note [12] 4,650±50 (62°03'41"N, 153°55'57"W) Parent is unnamed (9,600-9,700 feet)
at (61°46'50"N, 153°55'22"W).

1Various sources provide 6,900, 6920, 7,050, and 7,100 feet.

2Dillingham Borough has three HP candidates -

Unnamed 5250 at NAD27 (60°07'00"N, 159°19'17"W).
Two 5,200-5,300 foot peaks centered at NAD27 (60°04'01"N, 159°21'35"W).

Any of these peaks may be the Dillingham PP.

If unnamed 5250 is highest, then it becomes the Dillingham PP
with a 750-800 foot key saddle at NAD27 (60°38'21"N, 156°54'42"W)
for a prominence of 4,450-4,500 feet. The higher of the 5,200-5,300 foot pair
then has a prominence of 1,900-2,050 feet from a connecting 3,200-3,300 foot
saddle with unnamed 5250 at NAD27 (60°04'19"N, 159°19'12"W).

If either of the two 5,200-5,300 foot peaks is highest of the three candidates,
it then has a prominence of 4,450-4,550 feet
for the higher subpeak, with the key saddle noted above;
and a 100-300 foot prominence for the lower subpeak.
Unnamed 5250 would have a 1,950-2,050 foot prominence.

There is an unnamed 5,205 foot peak at NAD27 (60°03'43"N, 159°20'53"W ).
If BOTH of the unnamed 5,200-5,300 foot peaks are under 5,205 feet elevation
(this is highly improbable), then unnamed 5205 "steals" their 1,900-2,005 foot prominence
and has 1,905-2,005 foot of prominence.
However unnamed 5205 can be neither the borough highpoint nor largest prominence.

The parent of the borough HP and PP is unnamed (9,350 feet)
at (60°47'54"N, 153°23'36"W), with a prominence of 6,300±100 feet.
This is the Neacola Range highpoint.

3The parent of West Point is any of four peaks -

unnamed 6400-6500 at (64°48'18"N, 143°39'00"W)
unreadable BM name at (64°48'06"N, 143°37'36"W)
(these two compete for the larger prominence)

Mount Harper at (64°14'12"N, 143°49'42"W)
unnamed 6425 at (64°52'00"N, 142°40'18"W)

4Devils Paw has two possible key saddles -

2,950±50 feet at (59°50'12"N, 136°39'24"W);
2,950±50 feet as White Pass

5Mount Torbert has two possible key saddles -

Houston Pass: 2,700-2,750 feet at (62°02'42"N, 153°06'24"W)
Mystic Pass: 2,700-2,800 feet at (62°38'39"N, 152°31'42"W)

6The Kodiak Island highpoint is either Mount Denison
at (58°25'06"N, 154°26'55"W) or Mount Steller at (58°25'50"N, 154°23'18"W).

There are two possible key saddles at
(58°17'39"N, 154°54'00"W) and (58°17'33"N, 154°54'42"W).

7Pavlof Volcano (8,200-8,300 feet) has an overlapping elevation range with Mount Veniaminof.
If Pavlof Volcano is higher then it is Mount Veniaminof's parent.
If Mount Veniaminof is higher then Redoubt Volcano is its parent.

The prominence of Mount Veniaminof is uneffected since the Pavlof-Veniaminof saddle
and the saddle leading from the pair to Redoubt Volcano have the same 0-50 foot elevation.

8Mount Osborn has two possible key saddles
at (65°00'00"N, 164°24'48"W) and (65°02'54"N, 164°26'12"W).

9Grand Pacific Pass at (59°12'30"N, 137°17'00"W) is a candidate Mount Fairweather key saddle enroute to Mount Logan as prominence parent. Canadian maps indicate a saddle elevation of 720-740 meters = 2,362-2,428 feet.

A slightly lower, and hence more likely key saddle exists at (60°49'N, 136°21'W), near Champagne, Yukon Territory. Although its elevation of 2,312-2,400 feet overlaps with Grand Pacific Pass, a simple model for the distribution of the true (but currently unknowable) saddle elevations indicates an 89.5% probability that this Champagne-based saddle is the Mount Fairweather key saddle.

The indicated prominence of Mount Fairweather is based upon a minimum key saddle elevation of 2,312 feet and a maximum of 2,400 feet since at least one saddle must be no higher than the latter.

The Champagne, Yukon saddle also lies along the Mount Orizaba to Mount Logan saddle walk. The remaining low elevation saddles known to lie along the latter walk are not relevant to the present discussion as they are NOT located along the Mount Fairweather to Mount Logan walk:

2,368-2,500 feet southeast of Atlin Lake; 2,500-3,000 feet Dease Lake/Stikine Divide;
2,316-2,400 feet near Summit Lake; 2,450-2,500 feet near Arctic/Pacific Lakes.

10Mount Bona has two possible key saddles at (61°19'30" N, 141°17'00" W) and (61°22'00" N, 141°20'30" W).

11Unnamed 2,430 has two possible key saddles at (61°55'30"N, 164°39'36"W) and (61°53'21"N, 164°08'30"W).

12Yukon-Koyukuk Borough has two possible highpoints -

Unnamed spot elevation (7,770 feet) at (62°09'39"N, 153°52'26"W).
Unnamed area (7,700+ feet) at (62°06'12"N, 153°55'07"W).

If the spot elevation is higher then the borough highpoint's prominence is 3,070-3,170 feet.

If the unnamed area is higher then the borough highpoint's prominence is 3,070-3,200 feet.

back to prominence page Alaska 5,000+ foot prominences