Sherpa Glacier — a glacier in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,171 m (7,123 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It sits roughly 22 km (14 mi) SW of Leavenworth.
Sherpa Glacier is .50 mi (0.80 km) east of Mount Stuart and north of Sherpa Peak, in the U.S. state of Washington. According to the USGS, this glacier is "named for a mountaineering club active in the area since the 1950s." Sherpa Glacier is within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of Wenatchee National Forest. The glacier is approximately .20 mi (0.32 km) in length, .15 mi (0.24 km) in width at its widest and descends from 7,600 to 6,600 ft (2,300 to 2,000 m), where it terminates as an icefall. Less than .50 mi (0.80 km) to the northwest lies Stuart Glacier.From the Wikipedia article “Sherpa Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sherpa Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° 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) | 5:07 AM | 53° NE | 9:05 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:49 AM | 125° SE | 4:16 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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 | 7:13 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:37 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:26 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:55 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:27 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:50 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Sherpa Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| 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 | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:38 AM – 4:18 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:37 AM – 2:57 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:08 AM – 1:58 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:39 PM – 12:59 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 10:51 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.55 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 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). July 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 | 51 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 86 | 95 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 78 | 60 | 45 |
| Low °F | -11 | -4 | -1 | 16 | 22 | 31 | 37 | 39 | 28 | 12 | -6 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
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
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sherpa Glacier, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain Pass
Mountain Pass
Ghost Town
Waterfall
LakeMountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Eightmile Campground12.6 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Eightmile Group Site12.6 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Bridge Creek Group Site12.9 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
- Teanaway Guard Station13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Icicle Group Campground13.9 km (8.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sherpa Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Sherpa Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sherpa Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sherpa Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sherpa Glacier?
How far is Sherpa Glacier from Leavenworth?
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.