segment of the Pacific mountain system, western North America. The range extends southwestward for about 600 miles (1,000 km) from the west end of the Alaska Range to the head of Cook Inlet of the Gulf of Alaska (Alaska, Gulf of), Alaska, U.S. The Aleutian Islands represent a southwestern extension of the mountain peaks, which stretch the length of the Alaska Peninsula and include many volcanoes, notably Katmai (6,715 feet 【2,047 metres】), Veniaminof (8,225 feet 【2,507 metres】), and Redoubt (10,197 feet 【3,108 metres】). The range, named for the Aleuts who inhabit the island region, embraces Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve (including the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (Ten Thousand Smokes, Valley of)), and the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve.