South Tahoma Glacier is a glacier in Pierce County, Washington at about 2,498 m (8,196 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to Mount Rainier National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Eatonville, about 35 km (22 mi) away (South Tahoma Glacier lies E of town).
The South Tahoma Glacier is a glacier located on the southwest flank of Mount Rainier in State of Washington. It covers 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) and contains 4.6 billion ft3 (130 million m3) of ice. Starting from an elevation of around 10,600 feet (3,200 m) at the base of a steep cliff, the glacier flows down southwest with the larger, adjacent Tahoma Glacier lying to the north. The smaller South Tahoma is connected to the Tahoma at an ice patch located in midway down the South Tahoma. From then on, the glacier narrows and flows down southwest and accumulates rock debris before turning and ending at an elevation of around 5,100 feet (1,600 m). The southern ice stream used to be connected to a northern ice stream coming down south from the Tahoma Glacier encompassing a jagged 7,690 feet (2,344 m) high sub-peak of Rainier called Glacier Island, but retreat has separated the glaciers...From the Wikipedia article “South Tahoma Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At South Tahoma Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 54° NE | 9:06 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 125° SE | 4:22 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 32m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 57m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 02m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:13 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 51m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:52 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 24m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 34m |
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 Tahoma Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:24 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:27 AM – 4:17 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:33 AM – 3:03 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:55 PM – 2:15 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:32 PM – 1:12 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:20 PM – 11:10 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:05 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| 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 ≈ 21.3 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 29% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 55 | 54 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 92 | 81 | 59 | 47 |
| Low °F | -12 | -9 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 37 | 27 | 14 | -11 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 6.7 |
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.
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 South Tahoma Glacier, closest first.
Glacier
Waterfall
Waterfall
Glacier
Waterfall
Glacier
Waterfall
Volcano
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cougar Rock Campground6.4 km (4.0 mi) · reservable
- Cougar Rock Group Campground6.4 km (4.0 mi) · reservable
- White River Campground15.2 km (9.4 mi) · reservable
- Big Creek (Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Wa)16.0 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Ohanapecosh Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph South Tahoma Glacier?
What time is golden hour at South Tahoma Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at South Tahoma Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from South Tahoma Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at South Tahoma Glacier?
How far is South Tahoma Glacier from Eatonville?
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.