Carrie Glacier is a glacier in Clallam County, Washington at about 1,813 m (5,948 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to Olympic National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Port Angeles, about 29 km (18 mi) away (Carrie Glacier lies SSW of town).
Carrie Glacier is located on Mount Carrie and Mount Fairchild in the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park. Starting at an elevation of about 6,800 feet (2,100 m), the glacier descends northward, but the ice soon reaches a cliff. Part of the Carrie Glacier plunges over the steep rockwall, contributing ice to an adjacent glacier, while the other section flows north-northeast, avoiding the precipitous drop. This segment of ice is confined by an arête to the west and Mount Fairchild to the east in a chute. The glacier reaches as low as 5,000 ft (1,500 m) before terminating. There are several other patches of snow and glaciers located nearby, such as the Fairchild Glacier. Mount Carrie and Carrie Glacier were named by surveyor Theodore Rixon for his fiancée Caroline Jones whom he met on a trail in Soleduck Valley.From the Wikipedia article “Carrie Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Carrie 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) | 7:18 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 53° NE | 9:18 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:02 AM | 125° SE | 4:25 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 23m |
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 | 7:25 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:50 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:24 PM | 8h 50m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:57 PM | 16h 00m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:29 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:59 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:51 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 25m |
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 Carrie Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 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 | 3:51 AM – 4:21 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:53 AM – 3:03 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:32 AM – 1:52 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:58 PM – 12:58 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:36 PM – 10:56 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.58 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Carrie Glacier, closest first.
Glacier
Canyon
Fire Lookout
Waterfall
Hot Spring
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort Campground18.6 km (11.6 mi) · reservable
- Hoh Rainforest Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Deer Park Campground29 km (18 mi)
- Fairholme Campground29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Carrie Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Carrie Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Carrie Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Carrie Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Carrie Glacier?
How far is Carrie Glacier from Port Angeles?
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.