| Mount Doonerak | |
| Elevation Ft: | 7457 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 3557 |
| Isolation Mi: | 27.19 |
| Isolation Ref: | [3] |
| Parent Peak: | Peak 7510 |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Alaska |
| Region: | Yukon–Koyukuk |
| Region Type: | Census Area |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve[4] |
| Range: | Endicott Mountains Brooks Range |
| Map: | USA Alaska |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Map Size: | 270 |
| Coordinates: | 67.9046°N -150.6272°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [5] |
| Topo: | USGS Wiseman D-2 |
| Age: | Paleozoic |
| Rock: | Metavolcanic rock and argillite[6] |
| First Ascent: | 1952[7] |
| Easiest Route: | Southeast Ridge |
Mount Doonerak is a 7457feet mountain summit in Alaska, United States.
Mount Doonerak is the third-highest point in the Endicott Mountains which are a subrange of the Brooks Range.[2] It is set 32miles southeast of Anaktuvuk Pass in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.[5] It ranks as the fourth-highest summit within the park,[4] and is one of the most popular climbing areas in the park.[8] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains north into the North Fork Koyukuk River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises approximately 5457abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the North Fork Koyukuk in 2miles. The nearest city is Fairbanks, 225miles to the south-southeast.
The mountain was discovered and named in 1929 by Bob Marshall who called it "Matterhorn of the Koyukuk."[5] [9] Later, he renamed it Doonerak after miscalculating the elevation as more than 10,000 feet and believing it was the tallest peak in the Arctic of Alaska.[10] Marshall described the mountain as, a "towering, black, unscalable-looking giant, the highest peak in this section of the Brooks Range."[11] The name Doonerak is taken from an Iñupiat word which means "a spirit" or "a devil."[5] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
The first ascent of the summit was made on June 30, 1952, by George W. Beadle, Alfred Tissières and Gunnar Bergman via the Southeast Ridge.[1] [5]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Doonerak is located in a tundra climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.[12] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F. This climate supports a small glacial remnant on the peak's north slope.