Juneau Icefield is a glacier in Juneau City and Borough, Alaska at about 1,570 m (5,151 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 34 km (21 mi) N of Juneau.
The Juneau Icefield is an ice field located just north of Juneau, Alaska, continuing north through the border with British Columbia, extending through an area of 3,900 square kilometres (1,500 mi2) in the Coast Range ranging 140 km (87 mi) north to south and 75 km (47 mi) east to west. The icefield is the source of many glaciers, including the Mendenhall Glacier and the Taku Glacier. The icefield is home to over 40 large valley glaciers and 100 smaller ones. The Icefield serves as a tourist attraction with many travellers flown in by helicopter for quick walks on the 240-to-1,400-metre (790 to 4,590 ft) deep ice and the massive, awe-inspiring moist crevasses.From the Wikipedia article “Juneau Icefield”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Juneau Icefield 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 322° (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) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:49 AM | 38° NE | 10:12 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 88° E | 6:59 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:48 AM | 138° SE | 3:06 PM | 222° SW | 8° | 6h 17m |
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 | 7:47 AM | 8:36 AM | 9:59 AM | 2:17 PM | 3:40 PM | 4:30 PM | 7h 04m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 22m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:08 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:02 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 26m |
| May | 3:33 AM | 4:30 AM | 5:33 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:20 PM | 10:18 PM | 16h 50m |
| June | 2:29 AM | 3:50 AM | 5:03 AM | 8:56 PM | 10:09 PM | 11:30 PM | 18h 20m |
| July | 3:07 AM | 4:15 AM | 5:23 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:54 PM | 11:02 PM | 17h 40m |
| August | 4:32 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 27m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 52m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:49 AM | 9:02 AM | 2:25 PM | 3:38 PM | 4:25 PM | 7h 49m |
| December | 7:50 AM | 8:44 AM | 10:24 AM | 1:24 PM | 3:04 PM | 3:58 PM | 6h 21m |
Local time (America/Juneau), 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 | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.9 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 May as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 36 | 45 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 55 | 44 | 38 |
| Low °F | -27 | -22 | -19 | -3 | 10 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 27 | 1 | -19 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.0 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Juneau Icefield, closest first.
Glacier
Glacier
Waterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
LakeScenic Viewpoint
Lighthouse
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Eagle Glacier Cabin14.7 km (9.2 mi) · reservable
- Windfall Lake Cabin16.4 km (10.2 mi) · reservable
- Mendenhall Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Sítʼ Yá Hítʼ Cabin21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Peterson Lake Cabin23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Juneau Icefield?
What time is golden hour at Juneau Icefield?
Where does the sun rise and set at Juneau Icefield?
Can you see the Milky Way from Juneau Icefield?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Juneau Icefield?
How far is Juneau Icefield 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.