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 Arms of the
Cook Inlet on the west to
Bering Glacier,
Tana Glacier, and the Tana River on the east. It is bounded on the north by the
Matanuska,
Copper, and
Chitina rivers. The highest point of the Chugach Mountains is
Mount Marcus Baker, at , but with an average elevation of , most of its summits are not especially high. Even so its position along the
Gulf of Alaska ensures more snowfall in the Chugach than anywhere else in the world; an annual average of over 1500 cm (600 in).