Mary Green Glacier — a glacier in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,322 m (7,618 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Darrington, about 55 km (34 mi) away (Mary Green Glacier lies E of town).
Mary Green Glacier is in Wenatchee National Forest in the U.S. state of Washington, on the east slopes of Bonanza Peak, the tallest non-volcanic peak in the Cascade Range. Mary Green Glacier descends from 8,500 to 7,200 ft (2,600 to 2,200 m). Mary Green Glacier was named after the wife of a prospector and lies along the most popular route to the summit of Bonanza Peak.From the Wikipedia article “Mary Green Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mary Green 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 308° (NW) in June to 235° (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) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 52° NE | 9:08 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 126° SE | 4:12 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 20m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 47m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 12m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:48 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 22m |
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 Mary Green Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:40 AM – 4:10 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:44 AM – 2:44 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:29 AM – 1:29 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:50 PM – 12:40 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 10:45 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: 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 ≈ 21.71 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 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 | 45 | 47 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 87 | 87 | 89 | 85 | 76 | 54 | 43 |
| Low °F | -24 | -23 | -15 | -1 | 15 | 27 | 30 | 33 | 22 | 2 | -20 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
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 Mary Green Glacier, closest first.
Mountain PeakGlacier
Waterfall
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Harlequin Campground15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Lucerne Campground20 km (12 mi)
- Alpine Meadows Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Nineteen Mile Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Nineteenmile Campground24 km (15 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mary Green Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Mary Green Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mary Green Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mary Green Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mary Green Glacier?
How far is Mary Green Glacier from Darrington?
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.