Palmer Glacier is a glacier in Clackamas County, Oregon at about 2,358 m (7,736 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 21 km (13 mi) E of Mount Hood Village.
Palmer Glacier is an extinct glacier on the south slopes of Mount Hood in the U.S. state of Oregon. With glacial ice movement having stopped in the mid-1980s, it is now considered a snowfield rather than an active glacier. The former glacier, now snowfield, is situated at an elevation range of 9,300 to 6,200 feet (2,800 to 1,900 m), and was named for Joel Palmer, an Oregon pioneer. Palmer Glacier is the most well-known of the twelve glaciers on the mountain, despite no longer technically qualifying as a glacier, and is a popular destination for snowsports enthusiasts as it is the only US resort that consistently runs its chairlifts from winter through summer.From the Wikipedia article “Palmer Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Palmer Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 55° NE | 8:59 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 124° ESE | 4:27 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 43m |
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 | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:30 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 45m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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
From Palmer Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:12 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:11 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:10 AM – 3:20 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:32 PM – 2:42 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:15 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.49 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 25% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 61 | 60 | 74 | 80 | 90 | 93 | 99 | 96 | 96 | 83 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | -2 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
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.
- 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 Palmer Glacier, closest first.
Glacier
National Forest
Glacier
National Forest
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Cave
Waterfall
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Still Creek6.2 km (3.8 mi) · reservable
- Tilly Jane Guard Station6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Trillium9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Lost Creek10.6 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
- Nottingham Campground11.0 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Palmer Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Palmer Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Palmer Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Palmer Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Palmer Glacier?
How far is Palmer Glacier from Mount Hood Village?
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.