Middle Cascade Glacier is a glacier in Skagit County, Washington at about 1,752 m (5,748 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 44 km (28 mi) ENE of Darrington.
Middle Cascade Glacier is in Wenatchee National Forest in the U.S. state of Washington and is to the north of Spider Mountain and east of Mount Formidable. Middle Cascade Glacier has a significant icefall that is thinning and may eventually separate the upper section of the glacier from the lower. Middle Cascade Glacier retreated 260 m (850 ft) between 1979 and 2005. The smaller Spider Glacier is just southeast of Middle Cascade Glacier.From the Wikipedia article “Middle Cascade Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Middle Cascade 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) | 7:08 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 52° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:12 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 18m |
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 | 8:43 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 46m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 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 | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 13m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:50 PM | 16h 05m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 43m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 21m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 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 | 7:13 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 14m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 20m |
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 Middle Cascade 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 | 3:53 AM – 4:13 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:48 AM – 2:48 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:42 AM – 1:22 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:55 PM – 12:35 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:28 PM – 10:38 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 ≈ 21.71 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 | 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
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Middle Cascade Glacier, closest first.
Mountain PeakGlacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
GlacierWaterfall
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mineral Park Campground9.8 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
- Marble Creek Campground20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Sulphur Creek Campground22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Suiattle Guard Station26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Buck Creek Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Middle Cascade Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Middle Cascade Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Middle Cascade Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Middle Cascade Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Middle Cascade Glacier?
How far is Middle Cascade 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.