Reid Glacier is a glacier in Clackamas County, Oregon at about 2,359 m (7,740 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mount Hood Village, about 20 km (13 mi) away (Reid Glacier lies E of town).
Reid Glacier is an alpine glacier located on the west slope of Mount Hood in the U.S. state of Oregon. It ranges in elevation from about 9,800 to 6,000 feet (3,000 to 1,800 m). The glacier is the source of the Sandy River. The upper extent of the glacier is known for extensive crevasses. The glacier is a remnant of the massive glaciers that formed during the last ice age. It is bounded on the north by Yokum Ridge which also defines the southern side of Sandy Glacier, and by a ridge on the south bounding the north side of Zigzag Glacier. The eastern and upper reaches of this ridge include Illumination Rock. The uppermost portion of the glacier is below Leuthold Couloir. The glacier lies entirely within Mount Hood Wilderness. Between 1907 and 2004, Reid Glacier lost 35% of its surface area. The glacier terminus has retreated by 1,607 feet (490 m) over the same time period.From the Wikipedia article “Reid Glacier (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Reid 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 | 7:20 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 | 8:58 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 39m |
| 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 | 7:41 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 Reid 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 ≈ 21.48 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.
- Never walk on a glacier without training and gear; crevasses hide under snow bridges.
- 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 Reid Glacier, closest first.
Glacier
National Forest
Cave
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Glacier
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
National ForestCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Tilly Jane Guard Station6.4 km (4.0 mi) · reservable
- Still Creek7.9 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
- Lost Creek9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Kinnikinnick (Laurance Lake) Campground10.6 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
- Trillium11.2 km (7.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Reid Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Reid Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Reid Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Reid Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Reid Glacier?
How far is Reid 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.