Alaska will celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the first ascent of its most iconic mountain – 20,320-foot Mount McKinley – this year. In June of 1913, Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper and Robert G. Tatum were the first climbers to successful reach the top of North America’s tallest peak. Climbers had been attempting to summit the mountain for at least 10 years by the time of the party’s successful summit, and hundreds still attempt it each year. Tatum perhaps said it best when he remarked, "The view from the top of Mount McKinley is like looking out the windows of Heaven!"

Since those early days, millions of people have traveled north to see the majestic mountain. One of the most popular ways to experience the same view Tatum enjoyed without actually climbing it is to take a flightseeing trip around the mountain’s peak, or even a glacier landing at base camp where climbers are preparing to summit. Flightseeing trips are readily available from Anchorage, Talkeetna or Healy.

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