Gannett Glacier — a glacier in Fremont County, Wyoming at about 3,602 m (11,818 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Fitzpatrick Wilderness. It sits roughly 41 km (25 mi) NNE of Pinedale.
Gannett Glacier is the largest glacier in the Rocky Mountains within the United States. The glacier is located on the east and north slopes of Gannett Peak, the highest mountain in Wyoming, on the east side of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range. Gannett is but one of dozens of glaciers located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest. Like many glaciers around the world, Gannett Glacier is slowly disappearing. Photographic evidence clearly demonstrates that there has been an enormous reduction in the area of the glacier since the 1920s. The estimated area of the glacier in 1950 was 4.6 square kilometres (1,137 acres) and was measured in 1999 to be 3.63 square kilometres (897 acres). Measurements from 1958 and 1983 showed a depth reduction of 18.6 metres (61 ft) over 25 years. A general warming pattern and a reduction in moisture is widely believed to be...From the Wikipedia article “Gannett Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gannett Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:23 AM | 90° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 56° NE | 9:03 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 122° ESE | 4:47 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:33 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 22m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:35 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:12 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:06 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:31 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 00m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Gannett Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 5:01 AM – 5:51 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:05 AM – 4:45 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:08 AM – 3:48 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:21 PM – 3:11 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:09 PM – 1:59 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 11:53 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:08 PM – 9:48 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 45% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 41 | 40 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 85 | 91 | 88 | 83 | 72 | 60 | 43 |
| Low °F | -24 | -31 | -18 | -8 | 7 | 22 | 31 | 29 | 14 | -5 | -24 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
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
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 Gannett Glacier, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
GlacierMountain PeakGlacier
Mountain PeakMountain Peak
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Green River Lake Lodge22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Green River Lakes - Bridger-Teton Nf (Wy)22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Trails End Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Narrows Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- New Fork Lake Group Campground29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gannett Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Gannett Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gannett 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.