Located in Pierce County, Washington, Wilson Glacier is a glacier at about 2,461 m (8,074 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 Crocker, about 39 km (24 mi) away (Wilson Glacier lies SE of town).
The Wilson Glacier is a medium-sized tributary glacier located on the southeast flank of Mount Rainier in Washington. Named after A.D. Wilson, who was part of an early ascent of Mount Rainier, the body of ice has an area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) and has a volume of 1.9 billion feet3 (54 million m3). The glacier directly feeds ice to the adjacent, but much larger Nisqually Glacier. Starting from the head at 9,700 feet (3,000 m), the glacier flows downhill southward. One part of the glacier meets the Nisqually Glacier at 8,000 feet (2,400 m) and the other part of the glacier ends on a cliff in between the Wilson and Nisqually Glacier at 7,200 ft (2,200 m). Meltwater from the glacier feeds the Nisqually River.From the Wikipedia article “Wilson Glacier (Mount Rainier)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Wilson 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) | 5:13 AM | 54° NE | 9:06 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 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 | 7:14 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:37 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 | 6:03 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 6:50 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 | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 02m |
| June | 4:33 AM | 5:13 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 51m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 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 | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:52 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 24m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:28 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 Wilson 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 ≈ 21.34 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
- 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
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 Wilson Glacier, closest first.
Glacier
Glacier
Waterfall
Cave
Glacier
Glacier
Volcano
Mountain PeakVolcanoCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cougar Rock Campground6.8 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Cougar Rock Group Campground6.8 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- White River Campground12.3 km (7.7 mi) · reservable
- Ohanapecosh Campground17.2 km (10.7 mi) · reservable
- Ohanapecosh Group Campground17.2 km (10.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Wilson Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Wilson Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Wilson Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Wilson Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Wilson Glacier?
How far is Wilson Glacier from Crocker?
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.