Alaska Range, a crescent-shaped mountain range in southern Alaska. It stretches some 500 miles (800 km), first northwestward and then southwestward, from Canada's Coast Mountains to the Aleutian Range on the Alaska Peninsula. The range is noted for its rugged beauty, unexplored regions, and glacier-capped peaks. Mount McKinley, 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level, is the highest peak in North America.