It’s the kind of thing that makes you realize how much power a single piece of paper can have over a massive hunk of granite and ice. For nearly a century, we all looked at the highest point in North America and called it Mount McKinley. Then, in 2015, everything shifted—at least on the maps. But honestly, if you ask any Alaskan, they’ll tell you the Mount McKinley name change wasn't really a "change" at all. It was more like an admission that the rest of the country had been wrong for a hundred years.
The mountain is huge. It’s so big it creates its own weather patterns, standing over 20,000 feet above sea level. You’ve probably seen the photos of its snowy peak piercing the clouds. But the drama surrounding what we call it? That's even more layered than the glaciers on its slopes.
A Political Spite-Fest in the 1890s
Here is the part that usually surprises people. The mountain wasn't named after President William McKinley because he climbed it, or because he loved Alaska, or even because he’d ever been there. He hadn't. Basically, a gold prospector named William Dickey was hiking around the Susitna River in 1896. He got into a heated argument with some silver miners who were obsessed with the "Free Silver" movement. Dickey, being a fan of the gold standard, decided to retaliate in the pettiest way possible: he named the biggest mountain he could find after the pro-gold standard presidential candidate, William McKinley.
It was a political "troll" before the internet existed.
The name stuck in the Lower 48, especially after McKinley was assassinated in 1901. By 1917, the federal government officially recognized it as Mount McKinley. But for the Koyukon Athabascan people who had lived in the shadow of the peak for thousands of years, the name was always Denali. It means "The High One" or "The Great One." To them, naming a sacred, ancient landmark after a politician from Ohio who never saw the place felt... well, weird.
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Why the Mount McKinley Name Change Took 40 Years
Alaska didn't just wake up in 2015 and decide they wanted a new name. They’d been fighting for this since 1975. That year, the Alaska State Legislature officially requested that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) switch it back to Denali.
You’d think it would be a simple fix, right? Not even close.
A single congressman from Ohio, Ralph Regula, managed to block the change for over three decades. He used a clever procedural loophole: as long as there was "active legislation" regarding a name, the Board on Geographic Names wasn't allowed to act. So, every two years like clockwork, Regula would introduce a bill to keep the McKinley name. He never actually intended for the bills to pass; he just needed them to exist so the board's hands were tied. It was a masterclass in bureaucratic stalling.
- 1975: Alaska officially asks for the name change.
- 1980: The park around the mountain is renamed Denali National Park, but the peak stays McKinley.
- 2009: Regula retires, but other Ohio politicians keep the "bill-filing" tradition alive.
- August 2015: Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell finally says "enough is enough."
Jewell used her executive authority to bypass the board, noting that 40 years of waiting was "unreasonable." She signed the order just days before President Barack Obama touched down in Alaska for a historic visit.
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The 2025 Reversal and Why It’s Messy
Just when we thought the dust had settled, the name became a political football again. In early 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to revert the name back to Mount McKinley. He argued that the 2015 change was a "political stunt" and that it tarnished the legacy of the 25th President.
This has caused a massive rift. On one side, you’ve got folks in Ohio and traditionalists who see the name as a tribute to a fallen leader. On the other, you have Alaskans and Indigenous groups who feel like their history is being erased—again.
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican Senator from Alaska, hasn't been shy about her frustration. She’s pointed out that there are plenty of things in Ohio named after McKinley, but this mountain belongs to Alaska. Most locals and tourism companies in the state have essentially ignored the 2025 order. If you fly into Anchorage today, the bush pilots and the lodges are still going to call it Denali. They don't care what the federal register says; they care about the "Great One."
Real-World Impact for Travelers
If you’re planning a trip, don't worry about getting corrected at the airport. No one is going to yell at you for using one name over the other, but using Denali will definitely earn you more "local cred."
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Navigating the Maps
The naming dispute creates some literal confusion on the ground. Most modern GPS systems and digital maps updated to Denali after 2015. With the 2025 shift back to McKinley, you might see a mix of both.
- The Park: It is still Denali National Park and Preserve. That hasn't changed.
- The Peak: Officially McKinley on federal docs (as of 2025), but Denali on almost every trail map and sign in the state.
Cultural Nuance
Understanding the Mount McKinley name change is really about understanding Alaskans' fierce sense of independence. They don't like being told what to do by D.C. or Ohio. When you visit, you’ll notice that "Denali" is used for everything from breweries to towing companies. It's more than a name; it's an identity.
Moving Forward: What You Can Do
The naming saga isn't just about a mountain; it’s about who gets to tell the story of a place. If you want to dive deeper into this or see the mountain for yourself, here are some practical steps:
- Check the source: When buying topographic maps for hiking, look for the "Date of Revision." Maps printed between 2016 and 2024 will exclusively use Denali.
- Support Indigenous voices: Look into the Doyon, Limited or other Alaska Native corporations that manage lands around the park. They offer tours that explain the Athabascan history of the peak far better than a textbook can.
- Stay updated on the BGN: The U.S. Board on Geographic Names website is the final word on federal naming. It’s worth checking periodically to see if the "procedural games" are still happening.
Honestly, the mountain doesn't care what we call it. It’s been there for millions of years and it’ll be there long after our political squabbles are forgotten. But for those of us living here now, the name we choose says a lot about what we value.