Murkowski introduces bill to keep Denali as the name of North America's tallest peak

Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News on Feb 13, 2025

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced federal legislation on Thursday that would officially designate North America’s highest mountain as Denali, refuting an executive order from President Donald Trump.

During his first day back in the Oval Office last month, Trump signed an executive order reverting the peak’s name from Denali to Mount McKinley.

The mountain had formally been named after William McKinley, the 25th president of the United State, until 2015, when former President Barack Obama changed its name to Denali by executive order.

In doing so, Obama was heeding a long-held request from Alaskans, who since 1975 had been trying to change the formal name of the mountain to Denali, the Koyukon-Athabaskan name for the mountain.

Following Trump’s order, the Alaska Legislature passed last week a joint resolution calling on the state’s congressional delegation to advocate for preserving the name Denali.

“In Alaska, it’s Denali,” Murkowski said in a statement on Thursday. “This isn’t a political issue — Alaskans from every walk of life have long been advocating for this mountain to be recognized by its true name.”

Alaska’s U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is more closely aligned with Trump, has also said he supports keeping the name Denali. His wife and daughters are of Koyukon Athabaskan descent.

Alaska’s lone U.S. Rep., Nick Begich III, has said he plans to focus on other issues. He did not immediately comment on the newly introduced legislation.

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