Located in Whatcom County, Washington, Baker Hot Spring is a hot spring at about 449 m (1,473 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Peaceful Valley, about 40 km (25 mi) away (Baker Hot Spring lies ESE of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Baker Hot Spring 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 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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:14 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:58 AM | 126° SE | 4:13 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
Steam is most visible on cold mornings; backlight from a low sun makes rising steam glow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:14 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:55 PM | 16h 08m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 12m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:49 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:11 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 Baker Hot Spring, 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 ≈ 21.68 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 hot spring
- Condensation forms quickly on lenses; let gear acclimate and carry a cloth.
- Keep to boardwalks and marked paths — crusts around thermal features can be thin and the water dangerously hot.
- A polarizer brings out the colors of mineral terraces and microbial mats.
- Respect bathers' privacy: ask before including people at soaking pools.
- Wind direction determines where steam drifts; shoot from the upwind side to see the pool.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Winter gives the most dramatic steam; some primitive springs are only accessible in summer.
Suggested gear: Circular polarizer, Lens cloth, Telephoto for distant pools. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Baker Hot Spring, closest first.
Waterfall
Lake
Wilderness Area
Glacier
GlacierWaterfall
Mountain PeakGlacier
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Park Creek Campground3.1 km (1.9 mi) · reservable
- Swift Creek Campground3.9 km (2.4 mi) · reservable
- Panorama Point Campground4.4 km (2.7 mi) · reservable
- Boulder Creek Campground5.6 km (3.5 mi) · reservable
- Shannon Creek Campground5.8 km (3.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
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How far is Baker Hot Spring from Peaceful Valley?
Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.