Knik Glacier is a glacier in Anchorage Municipality, Alaska at about 141 m (463 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Butte, about 33 km (20 mi) away (Knik Glacier lies SE of town).
The Knik Glacier (Dena'ina: Skitnu Łi'a) is an ice field located 50 miles (80 km) east of Anchorage, Alaska on the northern end of the Chugach Mountains. The ice field averages over 25 miles (40 km) long and over 5 miles (8.0 km) across, making it one of the largest glaciers in southcentral Alaska. Knik Glacier feeds the 25-mile (40 km) long Knik River which empties into the Knik Arm section of Cook Inlet. Lake George, a National Natural Landmark Lake and the largest glacier-dammed lake in North America, was formed by its outlet being blocked by Knik Glacier.From the Wikipedia article “Knik Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Knik Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 31° (NNE) at the June solstice and 144° (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) | 7:56 AM | 89° E | 8:09 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:13 AM | 31° NNE | 11:40 PM | 329° NNW | 52° | 19h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:39 AM | 88° E | 7:56 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:11 AM | 144° SE | 3:35 PM | 217° SW | 5° | 5h 23m |
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 | 8:57 AM | 9:53 AM | 11:44 AM | 2:24 PM | 4:15 PM | 5:12 PM | 6h 21m |
| February | 7:52 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:46 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:26 PM | 9h 02m |
| March | 7:29 AM | 8:12 AM | 9:10 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:16 PM | 10:05 PM | 14h 43m |
| May | 3:55 AM | 5:06 AM | 6:18 AM | 9:25 PM | 10:37 PM | 11:48 PM | 17h 31m |
| June | — | 4:14 AM | 5:41 AM | 10:10 PM | 11:37 PM | — | 19h 23m |
| July | 3:09 AM | 4:45 AM | 6:04 AM | 9:57 PM | 11:16 PM | 12:52 AM | 18h 31m |
| August | 5:08 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:53 PM | 9:56 PM | 10:51 PM | 15h 53m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:19 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:19 PM | 9:03 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 7:53 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:40 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:28 PM | 10h 06m |
| November | 8:10 AM | 9:02 AM | 10:30 AM | 2:49 PM | 4:17 PM | 5:09 PM | 7h 15m |
| December | 9:04 AM | 10:06 AM | — | — | 3:34 PM | 4:37 PM | 5h 28m |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.83 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 63% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 33 | 35 | 41 | 46 | 60 | 72 | 74 | 71 | 58 | 47 | 35 | 32 |
| Low °F | -34 | -27 | -30 | -11 | 7 | 28 | 33 | 28 | 12 | -12 | -28 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
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.
- 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 Knik Glacier, closest first.
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Mountain PeakScenic Viewpoint
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Knik Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Knik Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Knik Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Knik Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Knik Glacier?
How far is Knik Glacier from Butte?
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.