Hogback Ridge is a glaciated mountain ridge located in the
Chugach Mountains
The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about long and wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnagain ...
, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. This landform is situated east of
Valdez, west of
Thompson Pass
Thompson Pass is a 2,600 foot-high (855 meter-high) gap in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska.Geographic Names Information Service"Thompson Pass, Alaska" U.S. Geological Survey. Accessed July 2, 2009. It is the snowiest place in Al ...
, and the
Richardson Highway
The Richardson Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, running 368 miles (562 km) and connecting Valdez to Fairbanks. It is marked as Alaska Route 4 from Valdez to Delta Junction and as Alaska Route 2 from there to Fairbanks. It ...
traverses the southern base of the mountain. This feature takes its name from the Hogback Glacier on its northern slopes, and in turn the glacier was named in 1898 by Captain
William R. Abercrombie
William R. Abercrombie (August 17, 1857 – November 7, 1943) was a career U.S. Army officer during the late 19th century.
Biography
William R. Abercrombie was born at Fort Ridgely on August 17, 1857. Raised in Long Island, New York, he was appo ...
.
Abercrombie led an 1898 expedition seeking a route from coastal Alaska to the Klondike. Precipitation runoff and meltwater from the mountain's glaciers drains into tributaries of the
Lowe River
The Lowe River is a long river in Alaska. It begins at glacier known as ''Deserted Glacier'' in the Chugach Mountains, passes through Keystone Canyon
Keystone Canyon is a gorge near Valdez in the U.S. state of Alaska. Situated at an elevation of ...
, which in turn empties to
Prince William Sound
Prince William Sound (Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Tr ...
. The famous Horsetail Falls, which is located in
Keystone Canyon
Keystone Canyon is a gorge near Valdez in the U.S. state of Alaska. Situated at an elevation of , its walls are almost perpendicular. It measures in length, connecting the upper and lower valleys of Lowe River.
Geography
In Keystone Canyon, the ...
, receives its source from the south slope of the mountain.
Climate
Based on the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Hogback Ridge is located in a
subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...
zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.
Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Corbin, Keystone, and Hogback Glaciers on the mountain. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for viewing and climbing.
See also
*
Geography of Alaska
Alaska occupies the northwestern portion of the North American continent and is bordered only by Canada on the east. It is one of two U.S. states not bordered by another state; Hawaii is the other. Alaska has more ocean coastline than all of the ...
References
{{reflist
Gallery
File:Hogback Ridge and Hogback Glacier.jpg, Hogback Ridge
File:Hogback Ridge in winter.jpg, Hogback Ridge in winter
File:Horsetail Falls Alaska 1992.jpeg, Horsetail Falls
External links
* Weather forecast
Hogback Ridge
Mountains of Alaska
Landforms of Chugach Census Area, Alaska