Located in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Kijik is a ghost town at about 79 m (259 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 162 km (100 mi) W of Kalifornsky.
Kijik (Dena'ina: Qizhjeh) is a ghost town in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. An Athabascan village that was established on the shores of Lake Clark in the Alaska Range, its population was recorded at 91 in the 1880 United States census and declined thereafter, falling to approximately 25 individuals by 1904. Today, the village has been abandoned. The ghost town is located within the bounds of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.From the Wikipedia article “Kijik, Alaska”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kijik the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 34° (NE) at the June solstice and 141° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 326° (NW) in June to 219° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 53° in summer but only 6° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:19 AM | 89° E | 8:31 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:50 AM | 34° NE | 11:49 PM | 326° NW | 53° | 18h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:02 AM | 88° E | 8:19 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:23 AM | 141° SE | 4:09 PM | 219° SW | 6° | 5h 46m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:14 AM | 10:07 AM | 11:44 AM | 3:10 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:40 PM | 6h 39m |
| February | 8:12 AM | 8:57 AM | 10:01 AM | 5:02 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:52 PM | 9h 11m |
| March | 7:52 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:30 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:19 PM | 9:01 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:36 PM | 10:22 PM | 14h 36m |
| May | 4:32 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:45 AM | 9:43 PM | 10:51 PM | 11:56 PM | 17h 14m |
| June | 2:58 AM | 4:50 AM | 6:11 AM | 10:25 PM | 11:46 PM | 1:39 AM | 18h 56m |
| July | 3:58 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:33 AM | 10:14 PM | 11:28 PM | 12:49 AM | 18h 09m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:32 AM | 9:13 PM | 10:13 PM | 11:05 PM | 15h 42m |
| September | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:41 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:23 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 8:15 AM | 8:58 AM | 9:58 AM | 6:09 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:51 PM | 10h 11m |
| November | 8:28 AM | 9:18 AM | 10:39 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:37 PM | 7h 29m |
| December | 9:19 AM | 10:18 AM | 12:31 PM | 1:55 PM | 4:08 PM | 5:06 PM | 5h 50m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 1.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 58% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 38 | 35 | 38 | 49 | 71 | 79 | 80 | 74 | 65 | 51 | 41 | 37 |
| Low °F | -42 | -36 | -30 | -15 | -3 | 28 | 36 | 29 | 13 | -9 | -39 | -36 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.4 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Kijik, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kijik?
What time is golden hour at Kijik?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kijik?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kijik?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kijik?
How far is Kijik from Kalifornsky?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.