Coleman Glacier is a glacier in Whatcom County, Washington at about 2,250 m (7,382 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Peaceful Valley, about 28 km (17 mi) away (Coleman Glacier lies SE of town).
Coleman Glacier is located on Mount Baker in the North Cascades of the U.S. state of Washington. Between 1850 and 1950, Coleman Glacier retreated 8,200 ft (2,500 m). During a cooler and wetter period from 1950 to 1979, the glacier advanced 2,480 ft (760 m) but between 1980 and 2006 retreated back 1,443 ft (440 m). Situated on the west slopes of Mount Baker, Coleman Glacier is bordered by the Roosevelt Glacier to the north and the Heliotrope Ridge to the south. Coleman Glacier was named for Edmund Thomas Coleman, who was part of the first mountaineering team to climb Mount Baker in 1868.From the Wikipedia article “Coleman Glacier (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Coleman Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 52° NE | 9:15 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:59 AM | 126° SE | 4:14 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 15m |
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 | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:55 PM | 16h 09m |
| July | 4:41 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:12 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 12m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:50 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 17m |
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 Coleman Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:57 AM – 4:07 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:54 AM – 2:44 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:03 AM – 12:43 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:33 PM – 10:33 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.63 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Coleman Glacier, closest first.
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Mountain PeakVolcano
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Fire LookoutWilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Boulder Creek Campground13.4 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
- Park Creek Campground14.1 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Panorama Point Campground14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Douglas Fir Campground14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Excelsior Group Camp14.4 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Coleman Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Coleman Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Coleman Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Coleman Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Coleman Glacier?
How far is Coleman Glacier from Peaceful Valley?
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.