Located in Snohomish County, Washington, Columbia Glacier is a glacier at about 1,607 m (5,272 ft) above sea level. It is part of Henry M. Jackson Wilderness. The nearest town is Gold Bar, about 28 km (18 mi) away (Columbia Glacier lies ENE of town).
Columbia Glacier is a glacier located in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in the U.S. state of Washington. It descends from 5,600 ft (1,700 m) to 4,700 ft (1,400 m) above sea level. It is surrounded by Columbia Peak, Monte Cristo Peak, and Kyes Peak and is a source of water for Blanca Lake and Troublesome Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Skykomish River. The glacier retreated 278 ft (85 m) between 1979 and 2004. The retreat is due to recent reduced winter snowpack and more summer melting leading to negative mass balance. The glacier is in disequilibrium with climate and will continue to thin and retreat.From the Wikipedia article “Columbia Glacier (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Columbia Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 53° NE | 9:09 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:53 AM | 126° SE | 4:15 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 22m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:55 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:48 PM | 16h 01m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:27 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:50 PM | 8h 24m |
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 Columbia 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 | 3:41 AM – 4:11 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:43 AM – 2:53 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:22 AM – 1:42 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:48 PM – 12:48 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:46 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 ≈ 21.36 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 36% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 53 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 78 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Low °F | -16 | -11 | -4 | 6 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 35 | 27 | 5 | -10 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 9.6 |
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Columbia Glacier, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
Lake
Ghost TownWaterfall
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Troublesome Creek Campground8.2 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
- Bedal Campground15.2 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Evergreen Mountain Lookout15.4 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Coal Creek Group Camp20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Heybrook Lookout22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Columbia Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Columbia Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Columbia Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Columbia Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Columbia Glacier?
How far is Columbia Glacier from Gold Bar?
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.