Chugach Mountains

Mountain chain forming part of the Coast Range in southern Alaska. The Chugachs run in a westerly direction for some 500 km/300 mi, from the Saint Elias mountains in the east to the head of Cook Inlet. They lie south of the Alaska Range near the Gulf of Alaska, and have their highest point at Mount Marcus Baker (4,016 m/13,176 ft). The mountains take their name from the Inuit people who once lived around Prince William Sound.

Another notable peak in the Chugachs is Mount Steller (3,236 m/10,617 ft). South of Anchorage, they merge with the Kenai Mountains and form a dramatic backdrop to the city. The mountains are the site of the Chugach National Forest (area 22,700 sq km/8,764 sq mi), the second largest national forest in the USA. This conservation and recreation area encompasses the northeastern end of the Kenai Peninsula, the Portage Glacier (near which was the epicentre of a major earthquake of March 1964), the southern end of the Columbia Glacier, and the islands of Prince William Sound.