From 1917 until today, if somebody asked you what the tallest mountain in North America is, you would have had to answer “Mount McKinley.” Starting today, you would have to call it “Denali.”
That’s because President Obama has officially restored the original Alaskan Native name to the massive peak, which was renamed “McKinley” in 1917 in honor of President William McKinley and been a source of controversy ever since.
In 1975, a strange compromise was reached where the park surrounding the mountain was named Denali National Park, while the mountain remained named for a president who never, in fact, set foot in Alaska.
Denali translates to “The Great One,” a worthy name for the 20,322ft (6,194m) tall mountain. And so in honor of this historic change, we thought we’d compile a few of the most beautiful photos of Denali on 500px.
20 gorgeous photos for a 20,000-foot mountain:
To see more beautiful photos of this massive mountain, search either “McKinley” or “Denali” on 500px… pretty soon you may only have to search Denali.
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