Malaspina Glacier is a glacier in Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska at about 480 m (1,575 ft) above sea level. It is part of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
The Malaspina Glacier (Tlingit: Sít’ Tlein) in southeastern Alaska is the largest piedmont glacier in the world. Situated at the head of the Alaska Panhandle, it is about 65 km (40 mi) wide and 45 km (28 mi) long, with an area of some 3,900 km2 (1,500 sq mi), approximately the same size as the state of Rhode Island.From the Wikipedia article “Malaspina Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Malaspina Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 35° (NE) at the June solstice and 140° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 325° (NW) in June to 220° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 54° in summer but only 7° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:00 AM | 35° NE | 10:50 PM | 325° NW | 54° | 18h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:07 AM | 88° E | 7:24 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:24 AM | 140° SE | 3:18 PM | 220° SW | 7° | 5h 54m |
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 | 8:17 AM | 9:10 AM | 10:43 AM | 2:21 PM | 3:55 PM | 4:47 PM | 6h 45m |
| February | 7:17 AM | 8:01 AM | 9:04 AM | 4:10 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 13m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:35 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:24 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:20 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 34m |
| May | 3:42 AM | 4:45 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:47 PM | 9:53 PM | 10:57 PM | 17h 08m |
| June | 2:19 AM | 4:00 AM | 5:19 AM | 9:28 PM | 10:47 PM | 12:28 AM | 18h 47m |
| July | 3:10 AM | 4:27 AM | 5:40 AM | 9:17 PM | 10:30 PM | 11:47 PM | 18h 02m |
| August | 4:47 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:17 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 39m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 12h 54m |
| October | 7:20 AM | 8:02 AM | 9:01 AM | 5:16 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:57 PM | 10h 13m |
| November | 7:32 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:40 AM | 2:36 PM | 3:55 PM | 4:43 PM | 7h 34m |
| December | 8:22 AM | 9:20 AM | 11:22 AM | 1:15 PM | 3:17 PM | 4:14 PM | 5h 57m |
Local time (America/Yakutat), 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 | — | -5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| 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 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 78% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (86%). August is the warmest month and March 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 | 48 | 47 | 50 | 57 | 64 | 69 | 69 | 72 | 63 | 57 | 52 | 48 |
| Low °F | 15 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 42 | 33 | 23 | 16 |
| Precip. (in) | 14.0 | 11.8 | 8.4 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 5.4 | 7.2 | 11.7 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 15.2 |
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.
- A polarizer deepens the blue of glacial ice and the turquoise of meltwater lakes.
- 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 Malaspina Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Malaspina Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Malaspina Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Malaspina Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Malaspina Glacier?
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.