Quien Sabe Glacier — a glacier in Skagit County, Washington at about 2,267 m (7,438 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It lies in or next to North Cascades National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Darrington, about 49 km (30 mi) away (Quien Sabe Glacier lies ENE of town).
Quien Sabe Glacier is a glacier located on the west slopes of Boston Peak, North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Quien Sabe Glacier retreated 1200 meters from its Little Ice Age maximum in approximately 1850 to 1950. The glacier then advanced 55 meters between 1955 and 1975. It then started to retreat again and has retreated 200 meters from its largest extent in the 1970s to 2010. The glacier is approximately .60 mi (0.97 km) in length, .70 mi (1.13 km) in width at its terminus and descends from 8,400 to 7,200 ft (2,600 to 2,200 m). The glacier is separated by ridges from Sahale Glacier to the south and the much larger Boston Glacier to the north.From the Wikipedia article “Quien Sabe Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Quien Sabe 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 | 9:10 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 | 234° 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 | 7:52 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 45m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:14 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 14m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:50 PM | 16h 06m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 44m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 22m |
| 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 | 6:16 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 13m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:45 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 Quien Sabe 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 ≈ 21.73 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.
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 Quien Sabe Glacier, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mineral Park Campground9.7 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
- Marble Creek Campground17.3 km (10.7 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek South Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek North Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Newhalem Creek Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Quien Sabe Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Quien Sabe Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Quien Sabe Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Quien Sabe Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Quien Sabe Glacier?
How far is Quien Sabe 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.