Which U.S. state contains Denali?

Denali is in the U.S. state of Alaska.

The mountain stands in the Alaska Range in Interior Alaska and is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve. At 20,310 feet, or 6,190 metres, it is the highest peak in North America and Alaska's highest point.

For centuries, Koyukon Athabaskan communities used names related to the idea of “the tall one” or “the high one.” The name Denali became Alaska's official state name for the mountain in 1975. The federal government adopted Denali in 2015, although the federal official name was changed to Mount McKinley again in January 2025; Denali remains the familiar and Alaska-preferred name.

A common mix-up is to associate the peak with Washington or Montana because those states also contain famous high mountains, including Mount Rainier and Granite Peak. Denali's first verified ascent was completed on June 7, 1913, by Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum.