Located in Chugach Census Area, Alaska, Columbia Glacier is a glacier at about 727 m (2,385 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Valdez, about 31 km (19 mi) away (Columbia Glacier lies WNW of town).
The Columbia Glacier, a glacier in Prince William Sound on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, and has been retreating since the early 1980s. It was named after Columbia University, one of several glaciers in the area named for elite U.S. colleges by the Harriman Alaska Expedition in 1899. The head of the main branch of the glacier originates at the saddle between Mount Witherspoon and Mount Einstein. The Alaska Marine Highway vessel M/V Columbia is named after the Columbia Glacier.From the Wikipedia article “Columbia Glacier (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Columbia Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 32° (NNE) at the June solstice and 143° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 329° (NNW) in June to 217° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 52° in summer but only 5° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:49 AM | 89° E | 8:02 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:09 AM | 32° NNE | 11:31 PM | 329° NNW | 52° | 19h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:33 AM | 88° E | 7:50 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:03 AM | 143° SE | 3:30 PM | 217° SW | 5° | 5h 27m |
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 | 8:49 AM | 9:46 AM | 11:34 AM | 2:21 PM | 4:10 PM | 5:06 PM | 6h 24m |
| February | 7:45 AM | 8:31 AM | 9:39 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:20 PM | 9h 04m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 9:03 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:32 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:58 PM | 14h 42m |
| May | 3:50 AM | 5:01 AM | 6:12 AM | 9:18 PM | 10:29 PM | 11:39 PM | 17h 28m |
| June | — | 4:10 AM | 5:36 AM | 10:02 PM | 11:28 PM | — | 19h 19m |
| July | 3:07 AM | 4:40 AM | 5:59 AM | 9:50 PM | 11:08 PM | 12:41 AM | 18h 28m |
| August | 5:03 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:49 PM | 10:43 PM | 15h 52m |
| September | 6:31 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:12 AM | 7:15 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:56 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 7:47 AM | 8:31 AM | 9:33 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:21 PM | 10h 07m |
| November | 8:03 AM | 8:55 AM | 10:22 AM | 2:45 PM | 4:12 PM | 5:03 PM | 7h 17m |
| December | 8:56 AM | 9:58 AM | — | — | 3:29 PM | 4:31 PM | 5h 31m |
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 | — | -12° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.0+ 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 60% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 32 | 32 | 36 | 40 | 52 | 60 | 62 | 67 | 52 | 44 | 33 | 32 |
| Low °F | -41 | -38 | -38 | -16 | 6 | 19 | 29 | 23 | 8 | -14 | -34 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.2 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 8.0 | 9.9 | 8.4 | 7.1 | 7.4 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Columbia Glacier, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Columbia Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Columbia Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Columbia Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Columbia Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Columbia Glacier?
How far is Columbia Glacier from Valdez?
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.