What Do the Second Tallest Mountains in the United States and Canada Have in Common?
The tallest mountain in the United States is Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley. It is also the tallest mountain in North America. The tallest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, which also happens to be the second tallest mountain in North America (after Denali).
As for the second tallest mountain in the United States, that distinction belongs to Mount Saint Elias. In Canada, the second tallest mountain is…Mount Saint Elias.
So, to answer the question posed in the title of this post: what do the second tallest mountains in the United States and Canada have in common? They are the same mountain!
Located on the border of the Yukon and Alaska, Mount Saint Elias straddles both countries. Mount Saint Elias is the tallest peak in the Saint Elias Mountains, the highest coastal mountain range on Earth. In the United States, Mount Saint Elias is located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, while in Canada, the mountain is part of Kluane National Park and Reserve.
A beautiful mountain, Mount Saint Elias rises from the ocean to a height of 18,008 feet in just 10 miles. This gives the mountain a sharp incline, which has made it notoriously difficult to climb. Although mountain climbers regularly summit Denali and Mount Logan, few climb Mount Saint Elias. Not only is it a steep climb, there is no easy route to the summit, and the weather on the mountain is notoriously bad.
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