Sandy Glacier is a glacier in Clackamas County, Oregon at about 2,242 m (7,356 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mount Hood Village, about 21 km (13 mi) away (Sandy Glacier lies E of town).
Sandy Glacier is an alpine glacier located on the west slope of Mount Hood in the U.S. state of Oregon. It extends in elevation from about 8,800 to 6,000 feet (2,700 to 1,800 m). The glacier is the source of Muddy Fork, a tributary of the Sandy River. The upper extent of the glacier is known for extensive crevasses. The lower extent was marked by the Sandy Glacier Caves, possibly the largest glacier cave system in the lower 48 U.S. states. The glacier is a remnant of the massive glaciers that formed during the last ice age. It is bounded on the south by Yocum Ridge which also defines the northern side of Reid Glacier, and by a ridge on the north which defines part of the Hood River-Clackamas county border which also bounds the south side of Glisan Glacier. The glacier lies entirely within Mount Hood Wilderness. Sandy Glacier decreased in area by 40% between 1907 and 2004. The...From the Wikipedia article “Sandy Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sandy 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 | 5:37 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 | 4:57 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:36 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 | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:07 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 Sandy Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 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 | 3:12 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:12 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 1:18 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:22 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 ≈ 21.47 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 Sandy Glacier, closest first.
Cave
Glacier
National Forest
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Glacier
Glacier
Waterfall
National ForestCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Tilly Jane Guard Station5.9 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- Still Creek9.0 km (5.6 mi) · reservable
- Lost Creek9.2 km (5.7 mi) · reservable
- Kinnikinnick (Laurance Lake) Campground9.6 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Riley Horse Campground11.1 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sandy Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Sandy Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sandy Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sandy Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sandy Glacier?
How far is Sandy 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.