McHugh Peak

McHugh Peak is a 4308 ft mountain summit located in the western Chugach Mountains, in Anchorage Municipality, in the U.S. state of Alaska. McHugh Peak is situated in Chugach State Park, 14 mi southeast of downtown Anchorage, and 5 mi southwest of O'Malley Peak. Reaching the top involves hiking on a ridge trail and scrambling the final summit tor. The hike to McHugh Peak is detailed in several popular guidebooks. This geographic feature's local name was reported in 1942 by the Army Map Service, and was officially adopted in 1969 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The mountain's name is derived from McHugh Creek which drains the south slope of this peak, and the creek's name was first published in 1912 by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. This mountain is called Q'isqa Dghelaya in the Denaʼina language, meaning Banjo Snowshoe Mountain. "Q'isqa" are temporary snowshoes made of lashed brush.

Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification, McHugh Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into McHugh, Potter, and Rabbit Creeks, which empty into Turnagain Arm three miles from the summit.