View source for Mount Foraker

{{short description|Mountain in Alaska, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Foraker
| etymology = [[Joseph B. Foraker]]
| photo = Mt. Foraker. Shot from Talkeetna, Alaska (25711013851).jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Foraker
| elevation_system = NAVD88
| elevation = 17,400 ft (5304 m)
| elevation_ref = <ref>{{cite web|title=Elevations and Distances in the United States|url=https://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=1 November 2015}}</ref><ref name=peakbagger>{{cite peakbagger |pid=284 |name=Mount Foraker|access-date=2010-03-20}}</ref>
| prominence = 7250 ft (2210 m)
| prominence_ref = <ref name=peakbagger/>
| isolation = 14.27 mi (23.0 km)
| isolation_ref = <ref name=peakbagger/>
| parent_peak = [[Denali]]<ref name=peakbagger/>
| range = [[Alaska Range]]
| listing = {{unbulleted list
|[[List of the highest major summits of North America|North America highest peaks]] 6th
|[[List of the most prominent summits of North America|North America prominent peaks]] 64th
|[[List of the highest major summits of the United States|US highest major peaks]] 3rd
|[[List of the highest major summits of Alaska|Alaska highest major peaks]] 3rd
}}
| map = USA Alaska
| range_coordinates = 
| map_caption = Alaska
| map_size = 250
| label_position = right
| location = [[Denali Borough, Alaska|Denali Borough]], [[Alaska|Alaska, United States]]
| coordinates = {{coord|62|57|39|N|151|23|53|W|type:mountain_region:US-AK_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = <ref name=gnis/>
| topo = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Talkeetna D-3
| first_ascent = August 10, 1934
| easiest_route = basic snow/ice
}}

'''Mount Foraker''' is a {{convert|17400|ft|m|0|adj=on}} mountain in the central [[Alaska Range]], in [[Denali National Park]], {{convert|14|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Denali]]. It is the second highest peak in the [[Alaska Range]], and the [[Mountain peaks of the United States#Highest major summits|third highest peak]] in the [[United States]]. It rises almost directly above the standard [[base camp]] for Denali, on a fork of the [[Kahiltna Glacier]] also near [[Mount Hunter (Alaska)|Mount Hunter]] in the Alaska Range.

Its north peak was first climbed on August 6, 1934, and its higher south peak was climbed four days later on August 10, by [[Charles Snead Houston|Charles Houston]], [[Thomas Graham Brown|T. Graham Brown]], and Chychele Waterston, via the west ridge.<ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|id=1402265|name=Mount Foraker|access-date=2004-10-07}}</ref><ref name=bivouac>{{cite bivouac|id=7666|name=Mount Foraker|access-date=2008-07-10}}</ref>

==Name==
[[File: Mt. Foraker base camp.jpg|thumb|Mount Foraker base camp]]
[[File:Mt Foraker Alaska Sunrise.jpg|thumb|296x296px|Sunrise over Mount Foraker (17,400 feet)]]
Mount Foraker was named in 1899 by Lt. J. S. Herron after [[Joseph B. Foraker]], then a sitting U.S. Senator from [[Ohio]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a-gqAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA345 | title=Geological Survey Professional Paper, Volume 567  | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office | year=1967 | pages=345}}</ref>

The [[Koyukon]]  native peoples in the [[Lake Minchumina, Alaska|Lake Minchumina]] area had a broadside view of the mountains and thus gave distinctive names to both Foraker and [[Denali]]. According to [[Hudson Stuck]], the Koyukon had two names for Mount Foraker: ''Sultana'' meaning "the woman" and ''Menlale'' meaning "Denali's wife".<ref name=gnis/> The Denaʼina of the [[Susitna River]] valley called the mountain Be'u meaning his wife (Denali) and the Lower Tanana Athabascans to the north are reported to have had the same name (Denali) for Mount Foraker as they had for Denali (federally designated as Mount McKinley), and it appears that the names were not applied to individual peaks but instead to the Denali massif.  The mountain, along with Denali, was called ''[[Bolshaya Gorka, Nyuksensky District, Vologda Oblast|Bolshaya Gora]]'' ("big mountain") in [[Russian language|Russian]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}}

==Notable ascents==
* 1934 ''West Ridge'' FA of Mount Foraker by [[Charles Snead Houston|Charles Houston]], [[Thomas Graham Brown|T. Graham Brown]] and Chychele Waterston.<ref>{{Cite journal  | last = Roach  | first = Gerard | title = The Archangel - Foraker's North Ridge | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 20  | issue = 50  | pages = 277  | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA  | year = 1976  | isbn =  978-0-930410-73-5  }}</ref>
* 1963 Southeast Ridge. 2nd ascent. July 7. By Jim Richardson and Jeff Duenwald. Expedition led by Adams Carter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196405200/print|title=American Alpine Club Journal|last=Carter}}</ref>
* 1968 ''Talkeetna Ridge'', South Ridge FA by [[Alex Bertulis]], Warren Bleser, Hans Baer and Peter Williamson (US). The summit was reached on July 26, 1968. 4th ascent of peak.<ref>{{Cite journal  | last1 = Bleser  | first1 = Warren  | last2 = Bertulis | first2 = Alex | title = Mount Foraker's South Ridge | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 16  | issue = 43  | pages = 289–294  | publisher = American Alpine Club
  | location = Philadelphia, PA, USA  | year = 1969  }}</ref>
* 1974 ''Southwest Toe of Southeast Ridge'', variation to the South Ridge, ascent by Peter Reagan, Joe Davidson, Bob Fries, Jim Given, Mark Greenfield, Pippo Lionni, Eric Morgan and Frank Uher.<ref>{{Cite journal  | last = Reagan | first = Peter | title = Mount Foraker, Southeast Ridge | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 20  | issue = 49  | pages = 116 | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA | year = 1975 }}</ref>
* 1975 ''Archangel Ridge'', the north ridge, FA by Gerard and Barbara Roach, Brad Johnson, David Wright, Stewart Krebs and Charles Campbell.  Summit reached on July 14, 1975. Subsequently skied.<ref>{{Cite journal  | last = Roach  | first = Gerard | title = The Archangel - Foraker's North Ridge | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 20  | issue = 50  | pages = 277–284  | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA  | year = 1976  | isbn =  978-0-930410-73-5  }}</ref>
* 1976 ''French Ridge'', the South/Southeast Ridge, FA by Henri Agresti, Jean-Marie Galmiche, Gerard Creton, Herve Thivierge, Isabelle Agresti (all France) and Werner Landry (US).  Summit reached on June 3 and 4, 1976.<ref>{{Cite journal  | last = Agresti | first = Henri | title = Mount Foraker, South-Southeast Ridge | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 21  | issue = 51  | pages = 149–152  | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA  | year = 1977 }}</ref>
* 1977 ''Infinite Spur'', on the south face by [[Michael Kennedy (climber)|Michael Kennedy]] and [[George Henry Lowe|George Lowe]]. Ascent time 6 days.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Selters | first = Andy | title = Ways to the Sky | publisher = American Alpine Club Press | year = 2004 | location = Golden, CO, USA | pages = 263 | isbn = 0-930410-83-1 }}</ref>
* 1977 ''Southwest Ridge'', Nancey Goforth, Erik LeRoy, Chris Liddle, and Murray Marvin. The summit was reached on June 25, 1977, after 47 days spent on Mount Foraker.<ref>{{Cite journal  | last = LeRoy | first = Erik | title = Foraker's Southwest Ridge | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 21  | issue = 52  | pages = 359–365  | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA  | year = 1978 }}</ref>
* 1984 ''Pink Panther Route'' Daniel Vachon, Jean Francois Gagnon, Julien Dery (Canada)and Graham Sanders (Australia). Climbing the obvious S-shaped couloir in the middle of the East face to reach directly above the buttress and straight up to the S.E. ridge. Summit reached on May 25, 1984. From May 21 to May 27.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Foraker Pink Panther Route|first=Daniel|last=Vachon|journal=American Alpine Journal|volume=27|issue=59|url=https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198501400}}</ref> 
* 1989 ''Infinite Spur'', second ascent or route by Mark Bebie and Jim Nelson (US).  Summit reached on June 24, 1989, after 13 days on the mountain.<ref>{{Cite journal  | last = Bebie | first = Mark | title = Foraker's Infinite Spur | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 32 | issue = 64 | pages = 28–35 | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA | year = 1990 | isbn = 0-930410-43-2 }}</ref>
* 1990 ''False Dawn'', on the southeast face, first ascent by John Phelan (US) and David Sharman (UK).  Summit reached on May 27, 1990, after 5 days on the mountain.<ref name=aac_falsedawn/>
* 2016 ''Infinite Spur'', first solo ascent and fastest ascent to date, by [[Colin Haley]]. Ascent time was 12:29 from the bergschrund to summit. The descent was completed in a whiteout via the Sultana Ridge over the ensuing 48 hours.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Haley|first1=Colin|title=Infinite Spur Laps|url=http://www.colinhaley.com/infinite-spur-laps/|access-date=8 May 2017}}</ref>

{{panorama|image=File:Mt McKinley wide view from Kashwitna Lake.jpg|height=200px|caption=Mount Foraker, on the left, is 3,000' shorter than [[Denali]] on the right, but appears taller in this image due to [[foreshortening]].  Photo taken from Kashwitna Lake  roughly {{convert|100|mi|km}} south of the mountains. [[Mount Hunter (Alaska)|Mount Hunter]] is just to the left of Denali.|align=left}}
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{portal|North America|United States|Alaska|Mountains}}
*[[List of mountain peaks of North America]]
**[[List of mountain peaks of the United States]]
***[[List of mountain peaks of Alaska]]
*[[List of the highest major summits of the United States]]
*[[List of the most prominent summits of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=aac_falsedawn>
  {{cite journal | url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199110400/print |title = False Dawn—Foraker
   | publisher = American Alpine Club | access-date=2015-03-14}}</ref>
}}

== Notes ==
# {{note|fourth}} This ranking includes [[Denali]] North Peak as number 2.

==External links==
{{commons and category}}
*[http://www.photomountains.com/dameasy/pages/Alaska_Range/Foraker/index.html PhotoMountains: High resolution aerial photographs of Mount Foraker climbing routes]

{{NA highest}}{{NA prominent}}
{{Alaska highest}}
{{Alaska}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foraker, Mount}}
[[Category:Alaska Range]]
[[Category:Mountains of Denali Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:North American 5000 m summits|Mount Foraker]]
[[Category:Mountains of Denali National Park and Preserve]]
[[Category:Denaʼina]]