Located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Cul-de-sac Glacier is a glacier at about 1,497 m (4,911 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 189 km (118 mi) WNW of Meadow Lakes.
Cul-de-sac Glacier is a glacier in the Alaska Range of Denali National Park and Preserve in the U.S. state of Alaska. The glacier begins in the Kichatna Mountains on the side of Kichatna Spire, moving north. Its run-off and that of neighboring Shelf and Shadows glaciers feeds the west fork of the Yentna River.From the Wikipedia article “Cul-de-sac Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cul-de-sac Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 28° (NNE) at the June solstice and 147° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 333° (NNW) in June to 214° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 51° in summer but only 4° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:12 AM | 89° E | 8:26 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:14 AM | 28° NNE | 12:14 AM | 333° NNW | 51° | 20h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:56 AM | 88° E | 8:13 PM | 272° W | 28° | 12h 18m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:41 AM | 147° SSE | 3:39 PM | 214° SW | 4° | 4h 57m |
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 | 9:20 AM | 10:21 AM | 12:37 PM | 2:06 PM | 4:22 PM | 5:22 PM | 6h 01m |
| February | 8:11 AM | 8:59 AM | 10:11 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:41 PM | 8h 53m |
| March | 7:44 AM | 8:29 AM | 9:29 AM | 7:12 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 11h 43m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:37 PM | 10:29 PM | 14h 51m |
| May | 3:53 AM | 5:13 AM | 6:29 AM | 9:47 PM | 11:03 PM | 12:23 AM | 17h 50m |
| June | — | 4:15 AM | 5:50 AM | 10:34 PM | 12:10 AM | — | 19h 55m |
| July | 2:33 AM | 4:49 AM | 6:15 AM | 10:21 PM | 11:46 PM | 2:02 AM | 18h 56m |
| August | 5:16 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:20 AM | 9:13 PM | 10:19 PM | 11:17 PM | 16h 05m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:37 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:23 PM | 13h 00m |
| October | 8:12 AM | 8:57 AM | 10:03 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:43 PM | 10h 00m |
| November | 8:32 AM | 9:27 AM | 11:04 AM | 2:49 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:21 PM | 6h 59m |
| December | 9:29 AM | 10:36 AM | — | — | 3:38 PM | 4:46 PM | 5h 02m |
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 | — | -13° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 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 57% 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 | 36 | 34 | 36 | 49 | 60 | 73 | 74 | 71 | 61 | 48 | 37 | 36 |
| Low °F | -40 | -37 | -36 | -19 | -6 | 22 | 33 | 26 | 5 | -16 | -34 | -34 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cul-de-sac Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Cul-de-sac Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cul-de-sac Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cul-de-sac Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cul-de-sac Glacier?
How far is Cul-de-sac Glacier from Meadow Lakes?
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.