Located in Jefferson County, Washington, Anderson Glacier is a glacier at about 1,648 m (5,407 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Seabeck, about 39 km (24 mi) away (Anderson Glacier lies WNW of town).
Anderson Glacier was a glacier located in a cirque south of Mount Anderson in the Olympic Mountains and Olympic National Park. The southward-facing glacier starts on the steep headwalls of the cirque at about 6,200 feet (1,900 m) to 6,000 ft (1,800 m). It flows down to about 5,240 ft (1,600 m) before terminating. Meltwater from the glacier enters a lake at about 4,949 ft (1,508 m) before tumbling down a steep cliff. Between 1927 and 2009, Anderson Glacier lost more than 90 percent of its surface area. By 2011, the glacier was gone. The lack of glacial meltwater from the Anderson Glacier has caused the Quinault River to reach new recorded lows.From the Wikipedia article “Anderson Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Anderson Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 53° NE | 9:16 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:00 AM | 125° SE | 4:24 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 24m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:24 PM | 8h 51m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 08m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:15 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:55 PM | 15h 59m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 37m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:58 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:07 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:49 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 26m |
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 Anderson Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:48 AM – 4:18 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:49 AM – 3:09 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:23 AM – 2:03 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:52 PM – 1:02 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:32 PM – 11:02 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.36 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). August 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 | 58 | 62 | 67 | 76 | 89 | 98 | 99 | 97 | 99 | 84 | 65 | 54 |
| Low °F | -2 | 12 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 37 | 39 | 41 | 32 | 22 | 3 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 14.2 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 6.6 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 9.6 | 15.0 | 13.9 |
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 Anderson Glacier, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PassMountain Pass
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hamma Hamma Campground21 km (13 mi)
- Hamma Hamma Cabin21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Staircase Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Collins Campground24 km (15 mi)
- Interrorem Cabin26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Anderson Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Anderson Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Anderson Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Anderson Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Anderson Glacier?
How far is Anderson Glacier from Seabeck?
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.