USPS released the fifth stamp in the United States Scenic American Landmarks series on April 17. The new stamp values at 80c and depicts one of Alaska's most impressive geological features and also the highest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley.

Mount McKinley, named for President William McKinley, with its hight more than 20,000 feet above sea level, is the crowning peak of the 600-mile-long Alaska Range in the Denali National Park and Preserve. The range divides south-central Alaska from the interior plateau. The mountain's massive vertical relief of 18,000 feet is greater than that of Mount Everest.

Mount McKinley's beauty masks weather conditions that can be extreme at times. Winter lows can plummet to minus 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and storm winds can gust to more than 150 mph.

In some places, ice hundreds of feet thick enrobes the mountain's granite and slate core. Numerous glaciers that ring Mount McKinley's base are supplied from the permanent snowfields that cover more than 50 percent of the mountain.

Initially established as a wildlife preserve in 1917, Mount McKinley National Park was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980. This followed the addition of more than 4 million acres as part of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

The 80c postage exactly satisfies the international rate for a 1-ounce International letter except Canada and Mexico.