Fourpeaked Glacier — a glacier in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska at about 484 m (1,588 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 129 km (80 mi) NNW of Kodiak.
Fourpeaked Glacier is a calving glacier in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska. It is covering much of Fourpeaked Mountain, also known as Fourpeaked Volcano. In the 1950s and up to 1987 Fourpeaked Glacier experienced a dramatic recession which followed by a period of relative stability of it terminus between 1987 and 2000.From the Wikipedia article “Fourpeaked Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fourpeaked Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 38° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 323° (NW) in June to 222° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:16 AM | 89° E | 8:28 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 38° NE | 11:30 PM | 323° NW | 55° | 18h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:00 AM | 88° E | 8:15 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:06 AM | 138° SE | 4:20 PM | 222° SW | 8° | 6h 14m |
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 | 9:03 AM | 9:53 AM | 11:18 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:45 PM | 7h 02m |
| February | 8:06 AM | 8:49 AM | 9:50 AM | 5:09 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:52 PM | 9h 21m |
| March | 7:51 AM | 8:31 AM | 9:24 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:57 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 6:17 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:28 PM | 10:12 PM | 14h 27m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:49 AM | 9:34 PM | 10:38 PM | 11:36 PM | 16h 53m |
| June | 3:41 AM | 5:04 AM | 6:18 AM | 10:13 PM | 11:27 PM | 12:50 AM | 18h 23m |
| July | 4:21 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:38 AM | 10:03 PM | 11:12 PM | 12:21 AM | 17h 43m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:33 AM | 9:06 PM | 10:04 PM | 10:52 PM | 15h 29m |
| September | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:37 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:17 PM | 12h 52m |
| October | 8:11 AM | 8:52 AM | 9:48 AM | 6:12 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:50 PM | 10h 18m |
| November | 8:19 AM | 9:06 AM | 10:20 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:40 PM | 7h 47m |
| December | 9:08 AM | 10:01 AM | 11:44 AM | 2:37 PM | 4:19 PM | 5:13 PM | 6h 17m |
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 | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| 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 1.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and December 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 | 41 | 42 | 54 | 68 | 71 | 74 | 72 | 66 | 52 | 47 | 44 |
| Low °F | -16 | -6 | -8 | 5 | 20 | 38 | 42 | 40 | 30 | 10 | -11 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.3 | 6.0 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 7.3 |
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 glacier
- Expose carefully: ice and snow fool meters into underexposure, so add +1 to +2 stops.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Fourpeaked Glacier, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fourpeaked Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Fourpeaked Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fourpeaked Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fourpeaked Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fourpeaked Glacier?
How far is Fourpeaked Glacier from Kodiak?
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.