Miles Glacier — a glacier in Chugach Census Area, Alaska at about 707 m (2,320 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers.
Miles Glacier is a 30 miles (48 km)-long glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows west to its terminus at Miles Lake, 33 miles (53 km) north of Katalla. It was named in 1885 after U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Nelson A. Miles by a Lt. Allen during his Alaska expedition.From the Wikipedia article “Miles Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Miles Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 33° (NNE) at the June solstice and 142° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 327° (NNW) in June to 218° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 53° in summer but only 6° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:38 AM | 89° E | 7:51 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:06 AM | 33° NNE | 11:12 PM | 327° NNW | 53° | 19h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 88° E | 7:38 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:46 AM | 142° SE | 3:25 PM | 218° SW | 6° | 5h 40m |
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 | 8:35 AM | 9:30 AM | 11:10 AM | 2:23 PM | 4:04 PM | 4:58 PM | 6h 34m |
| February | 7:33 AM | 8:17 AM | 9:23 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:26 PM | 6:10 PM | 9h 08m |
| March | 7:12 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:50 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:21 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:30 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:44 PM | 14h 38m |
| May | 3:48 AM | 4:54 AM | 6:03 AM | 9:04 PM | 10:13 PM | 11:20 PM | 17h 19m |
| June | 1:54 AM | 4:06 AM | 5:29 AM | 9:47 PM | 11:10 PM | 1:22 AM | 19h 03m |
| July | 3:10 AM | 4:35 AM | 5:51 AM | 9:35 PM | 10:51 PM | 12:16 AM | 18h 16m |
| August | 4:56 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:35 PM | 10:28 PM | 15h 46m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 7:05 AM | 8:01 AM | 7:04 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:43 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 7:35 AM | 8:18 AM | 9:19 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:28 PM | 7:11 PM | 10h 10m |
| November | 7:49 AM | 8:39 AM | 10:03 AM | 2:41 PM | 4:05 PM | 4:55 PM | 7h 25m |
| December | 8:41 AM | 9:41 AM | 12:12 PM | 12:53 PM | 3:24 PM | 4:24 PM | 5h 44m |
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 | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 69% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (86%). 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 | 39 | 38 | 46 | 52 | 54 | 72 | 73 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 41 | 38 |
| Low °F | -12 | -12 | -13 | -1 | 20 | 32 | 37 | 36 | 21 | 5 | -12 | -3 |
| Precip. (in) | 11.3 | 10.3 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 4.8 | 6.9 | 11.3 | 15.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 13.2 |
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
- 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 Miles Glacier, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Miles Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Miles Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Miles Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Miles Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Miles 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.