Located in Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska, Alsek Glacier is a glacier at about 315 m (1,033 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 232 km (144 mi) WNW of Juneau.
Alsek Glacier is a 24-kilometer-long (15 mi) glacier in Glacier Bay National Park in the Panhandle of Alaska (USA). The name Alsek is of Tlingit origin and may mean "place where people rest". The glacier was named in 1901 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Moser, commander of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries steamer USS Albatross.From the Wikipedia article “Alsek Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Alsek Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 37° (NE) at the June solstice and 139° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 323° (NW) in June to 221° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 54° in summer but only 7° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:26 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:58 AM | 37° NE | 10:32 PM | 323° NW | 54° | 18h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 88° E | 7:14 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:08 AM | 139° SE | 3:15 PM | 221° SW | 7° | 6h 07m |
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
Ice shows its blue best under overcast skies or in shade; bright sun turns glaciers white and flat.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:04 AM | 8:54 AM | 10:22 AM | 2:23 PM | 3:50 PM | 4:41 PM | 6h 56m |
| February | 7:05 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:50 AM | 4:04 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 18m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:23 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:55 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:13 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 29m |
| May | 3:40 AM | 4:41 AM | 5:45 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:38 PM | 10:38 PM | 16h 58m |
| June | 2:30 AM | 3:58 AM | 5:13 AM | 9:14 PM | 10:29 PM | 11:57 PM | 18h 32m |
| July | 3:12 AM | 4:24 AM | 5:34 AM | 9:03 PM | 10:14 PM | 11:25 PM | 17h 50m |
| August | 4:42 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:05 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 32m |
| September | 6:01 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 53m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:48 AM | 5:09 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 16m |
| November | 7:19 AM | 8:06 AM | 9:22 AM | 2:33 PM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 7h 43m |
| December | 8:08 AM | 9:03 AM | 10:51 AM | 1:25 PM | 3:14 PM | 4:08 PM | 6h 10m |
Local time (America/Yakutat), 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 | — | -5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| 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 0.5+ 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 73% 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 | 41 | 39 | 52 | 60 | 63 | 74 | 77 | 79 | 65 | 55 | 46 | 41 |
| Low °F | -14 | -11 | -10 | 3 | 20 | 33 | 38 | 38 | 28 | 11 | -6 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 12.0 | 10.2 | 7.3 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 10.9 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 12.4 | 13.2 |
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 glacier
- A polarizer deepens the blue of glacial ice and the turquoise of meltwater lakes.
- Include a person or boat for scale — glaciers are much larger than they look.
- Boat tours to tidewater glaciers offer calving shots; use fast shutter speeds and a telephoto.
- Never walk on a glacier without training and gear; crevasses hide under snow bridges.
- Expose carefully: ice and snow fool meters into underexposure, so add +1 to +2 stops.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Summer offers access; late summer exposes the most bare ice before new snow.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Polarizer, Waterproof shell, Spare batteries (cold drains them). Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Alsek Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Alsek Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Alsek Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Alsek Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Alsek Glacier?
How far is Alsek Glacier from Juneau?
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.