South Cascade Glacier — a glacier in Skagit County, Washington at about 1,871 m (6,138 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Darrington, about 42 km (26 mi) away (South Cascade Glacier lies ENE of town).
South Cascade Glacier is a large alpine glacier in the North Cascades of Washington, USA. It is bordered on the east by 8,261-foot (2,518 m) Sentinel Peak, and is about 17 mi (27 km) north of Glacier Peak in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Meltwater from the glacier flows directly into South Cascade Lake, which feeds the South Fork Cascade River, which is a tributary of the Skagit River. South Cascade Glacier is one of the four "benchmark glaciers" that is monitored by the USGS and its mass balance has been monitored since 1959. Its area has declined from 2.71 km2 in 1958 to 1.8 km2 in 2015 representing an area loss of 34%. Between 1958 and 2009 South Cascade Glacier lost nearly a half of its volume.From the Wikipedia article “South Cascade Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At South 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 | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 06m |
| 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 | 4:13 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 19m |
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 | 8:42 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 | 5:59 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 40m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 13m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:50 PM | 16h 05m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 42m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 21m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 14m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 21m |
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 South Cascade Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:41 AM – 4:11 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:45 AM – 2:45 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:51 PM – 12:41 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:46 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.69 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.
- 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 South Cascade Glacier, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakGlacier
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mineral Park Campground14.1 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Sulphur Creek Campground16.0 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Suiattle Guard Station22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Buck Creek Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Marble Creek Campground25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph South Cascade Glacier?
What time is golden hour at South Cascade Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at South Cascade Glacier?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at South Cascade Glacier?
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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.