What is interesting about Mount McKinley in comparison to Mount Everest is even though the summit of Everest is about 9,000 feet higher as measured from sea level, its base sits on the Tibetan Plateau at about 17,000 feet which gives it a real vertical rise of a little more than 12,000 feet. The base of Mount McKinley is roughly a 2,000-foot plateau, giving it an actual rise of 18,000 feet.
The mountain is also characterized by extremely cold weather. A thermometer left exposed at an elevation of 15,000 feet on Mount McKinley over 19 years recorded a temperature of −73.3 °C at some point during its exposure.