High Mountain Rangers Tom Ditola and David Weber are taking a rest on the West Rib on Mount McKinley, Alaska. Mount Hunter in the background. They are above the clouds in blue sky and the sun is shining. Mount McKinley, native name Denali, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20, 321 feet (6, 194 m) above sea level. At some 18, 000 feet (5, 500 m), the base-to-peak rise is considered the largest of any mountain situated entirely above sea level. Measured by topographic prominence, it is the third most prominent peak after Mount Everest and Aconcagua. Located in the Alaska Range in the interior of the U.S. state of Alaska, McKinley is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve. Every climbing season High Mountain Rangers of the Denali National Park Service are called to help climbers in need. If possible the patient is brought down to base camp on foot, only in life threatening conditions a helicopter is called to evacuate the patient to a hospital in Anchorage.
