Located in Whatcom County, Washington, Sholes Glacier is a glacier at about 1,877 m (6,158 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Peaceful Valley, about 31 km (19 mi) away (Sholes Glacier lies ESE of town).
Sholes Glacier is located on the northeast slopes of Mount Baker in the North Cascades of the U.S. state of Washington. The glacier lies on the north side of the ridge known as The Portals. Between 1850 and 1950, Sholes Glacier retreated 3,838 ft (1,170 m). During a cooler and wetter period from 1950 to 1979, the glacier advanced 187 ft (57 m) but between 1980 and 2006 retreated back 278 ft (85 m). Sholes Glacier is named in honor of Charles H. Sholes, who served as president of the Mazamas in the early 1900s.From the Wikipedia article “Sholes Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sholes 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 309° (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) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:15 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:58 AM | 126° SE | 4:14 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 15m |
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 | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:14 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:55 PM | 16h 09m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 11m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:50 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 17m |
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 Sholes Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:57 AM – 4:07 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:54 AM – 2:44 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:03 AM – 12:43 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:33 PM – 10:33 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.67 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.
- A polarizer deepens the blue of glacial ice and the turquoise of meltwater lakes.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sholes Glacier, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
GlacierMountain Peak
Glacier
VolcanoVolcano
Waterfall
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Excelsior Group Camp11.3 km (7.0 mi) · reservable
- Silver Fir Campground11.5 km (7.2 mi) · reservable
- Park Creek Campground11.5 km (7.2 mi) · reservable
- Boulder Creek Campground12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Panorama Point Campground12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sholes Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Sholes Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sholes Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sholes Glacier?
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How far is Sholes Glacier from Peaceful Valley?
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.