Located in Skagit County, Washington, McAllister Glacier is a glacier at about 2,110 m (6,923 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to North Cascades National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 48 km (30 mi) NE of Darrington.
McAllister Glacier is in a large cirque to the north and east of Dorado Needle, North Cascades National Park, in the U.S. state of Washington. The glacier is approximately 1.85 mi (2.98 km) in length, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) in width at its terminus and descends from 8,000 to 4,500 ft (2,400 to 1,400 m), where it terminates near a proglacial lake. McAllister Glacier is nearly connected to Inspiration Glacier to the south and the two glaciers are separated by the arête known as Tepeh Towers. Klawatti Peak and an arete extending north from that peak separate McAllister Glacier from the Klawatti Glacier to the east. Like most glaciers in the North Cascades, McAllister Glacier is retreating and retreated approximately 1350 ft (410 m) between 1975 and 2009.From the Wikipedia article “McAllister Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At McAllister 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 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) | 7:08 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 52° NE | 9:11 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 126° SE | 4:12 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 17m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 45m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 14m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:51 PM | 16h 06m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 44m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 22m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 13m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:46 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 19m |
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 McAllister Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:54 AM – 4:14 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:49 AM – 2:49 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:43 AM – 1:23 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:56 PM – 12:36 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:29 PM – 10:39 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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
- 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.
- Expose carefully: ice and snow fool meters into underexposure, so add +1 to +2 stops.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 McAllister Glacier, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
GlacierGlacier
Glacier
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mineral Park Campground10.7 km (6.7 mi) · reservable
- Marble Creek Campground10.8 km (6.7 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek South Campground15.0 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek North Campground15.1 km (9.4 mi) · reservable
- Newhalem Creek Campground16.3 km (10.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph McAllister Glacier?
What time is golden hour at McAllister Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at McAllister Glacier?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at McAllister Glacier?
How far is McAllister 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.