Mount McKinley or Denali? Let’s Untangle This Mountain of a Name.

Mount McKinley or Denali? Let’s Untangle This Mountain of a Name.

Okay, let’s talk about a mountain – a really, really big one. North America’s highest peak has a bit of an identity crisis, going by two names: Mount McKinley and Denali. Why the double identity? Well, it’s a story that winds through native Alaskan culture and good ol’ American politics. So, which one is right? Honestly, it’s not a simple answer.

For ages, the Koyukon Athabascan people, who’ve called the area home for… well, forever, have known it as “Denali.” Think of it as “the tall one” or “the high one” in their language. Makes sense, right? It’s a huge mountain! It wasn’t just a label; it was a part of their lives, deeply woven into their culture. Other native groups around Alaska had similar names, all getting at the same idea: this mountain is big and important. You could say that “Deenaalee” or something like it was being tossed around maybe even 10,000 years ago!

Now, fast forward a few millennia. In 1896, a gold prospector named William Dickey decided to christen the mountain “Mount McKinley.” Why? To support William McKinley, who was running for president at the time. McKinley, nice guy and all, didn’t really have anything to do with Alaska. Still, the name stuck, and in 1917, the U.S. government made it official with the Mount McKinley National Park Act.

This is where things get a little sticky. For years, Alaskans have been saying, “Hey, wait a minute! It’s Denali!” In 1975, the Alaska Legislature formally asked the feds to switch the name back to Denali, honoring the mountain’s original name and its connection to the people who’d lived there for centuries. But Ohio, McKinley’s home state, wasn’t having it. Their congressional folks kept blocking the change.

Then, in August 2015, bam! Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, under President Obama, officially changed the name to Denali on all federal documents. It was a big win for Alaskans and Indigenous groups, a sign that their history and culture were finally being recognized.

But hold on, the plot thickens! Fast forward to January 2025. President Donald Trump, not one to leave well enough alone, signed an executive order reverting the peak’s name back to Mount McKinley. As of January 23, 2025, the Department of the Interior made it official again: Mount McKinley. Predictably, this didn’t go down well with many Alaskans, Indigenous organizations, and even some lawmakers. Senator Lisa Murkowski put it pretty bluntly: “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One.” The Alaskan government is sticking to its guns, still officially calling it “Denali.”

So, what’s the big deal about a name? Well, it’s about respect, history, and who gets to decide what’s important. While the federal government is calling it Mount McKinley right now, “Denali” is way more than just a name to the people of Alaska. It’s a connection to the past, a sense of place, and a cultural identity that’s not going anywhere.

One thing that hasn’t changed, thankfully, is the name of the park surrounding the mountain: Denali National Park and Preserve. This incredible place, originally set up as Mount McKinley National Park back in 1917, is a six-million-acre playground for wildlife and anyone who loves the great outdoors.

Bottom line? Is it Mount McKinley or Denali? Right now, Uncle Sam says it’s Mount McKinley. But for a whole lot of people, it’ll always be Denali, “the tall one.” It’s a story about different cultures, different perspectives, and the ongoing effort to honor the history of the land we live on.