East Nooksack Glacier is a glacier in Whatcom County, Washington at about 1,567 m (5,141 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Peaceful Valley, about 44 km (28 mi) away (East Nooksack Glacier lies ESE of town).
East Nooksack Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the eastern slopes of Mount Shuksan. East Nooksack Glacier is only 0.70 mi (1.13 km), but fills the upper portions of the Nooksack Cirque, spanning more than 2 mi (3.2 km). East Nooksack Glacier is connected to Crystal Glacier at its uppermost section at 7,800 ft (2,400 m). East Nooksack Glacier extends from Nooksack Tower to the northwest to Seahpo Peak to the southeast and meltwater from the glacier flows into the Nooksack River.From the Wikipedia article “East Nooksack Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At East Nooksack 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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:14 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:58 AM | 126° SE | 4:13 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 | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:27 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:55 PM | 16h 09m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 11m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:49 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:48 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 East Nooksack 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:56 AM – 4:06 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:53 AM – 2:43 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:54 PM – 2:34 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:02 AM – 12:42 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:32 PM – 10:32 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.73 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
- 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.
- Boat tours to tidewater glaciers offer calving shots; use fast shutter speeds and a telephoto.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 East Nooksack Glacier, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain PeakGlacierGlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shannon Creek Campground10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Silver Fir Campground12.7 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Park Creek Campground12.8 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
- Swift Creek Campground13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Panorama Point Campground14.1 km (8.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph East Nooksack Glacier?
What time is golden hour at East Nooksack Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at East Nooksack Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from East Nooksack Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at East Nooksack Glacier?
How far is East Nooksack 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.