Thompson Pass — a mountain pass in Chugach Census Area, Alaska at about 855 m (2,805 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Valdez, about 33 km (21 mi) away (Thompson Pass lies E of town).
Thompson Pass is a 2,678 foot high (816 meter high) gap in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska. It is the snowiest weather station in Alaska, recording 500 inches or 13 metres of snow per year on average. In the winter of 1952–1953, 974.1 inches or 25 metres of snow fell—the most ever recorded in one season at one location in Alaska. It is not the most snow ever recorded in one season at one location anywhere in the fifty states as that record belongs to Mount Baker Ski Resort at 1,140 inches or 29 metres in 1998–99. The pass also holds the Alaska record for the most snow in a single day: 62 inches or 1.6 metres fell on December 29, 1955.From the Wikipedia article “Thompson Pass”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Thompson Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 32° (NNE) at the June solstice and 143° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 328° (NNW) in June to 217° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 52° in summer but only 5° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:45 AM | 89° E | 7:58 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:05 AM | 32° NNE | 11:26 PM | 328° NNW | 52° | 19h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 88° E | 7:45 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:57 AM | 143° SE | 3:26 PM | 217° SW | 5° | 5h 29m |
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
Mountain passes sit above valleys, so they reward sunrise and sunset with layered ridges, valley fog and long shadows.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:44 AM | 9:40 AM | 11:27 AM | 2:19 PM | 4:06 PM | 5:02 PM | 6h 26m |
| February | 7:40 AM | 8:26 AM | 9:33 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:16 PM | 9h 04m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 8:58 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:28 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:53 PM | 14h 42m |
| May | 3:47 AM | 4:57 AM | 6:08 AM | 9:13 PM | 10:23 PM | 11:33 PM | 17h 27m |
| June | — | 4:06 AM | 5:32 AM | 9:57 PM | 11:22 PM | — | 19h 16m |
| July | 3:05 AM | 4:36 AM | 5:54 AM | 9:45 PM | 11:03 PM | 12:34 AM | 18h 26m |
| August | 4:59 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:44 PM | 10:38 PM | 15h 51m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:07 AM | 7:11 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 7:42 AM | 8:26 AM | 9:28 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:17 PM | 10h 07m |
| November | 7:58 AM | 8:49 AM | 10:16 AM | 2:41 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:59 PM | 7h 18m |
| December | 8:51 AM | 9:53 AM | — | — | 3:25 PM | 4:27 PM | 5h 33m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), 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
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
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 0.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 58% average cloud cover) and October as the cloudiest (79%). August is the warmest month and January 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 | 34 | 32 | 41 | 49 | 56 | 62 | 68 | 72 | 57 | 48 | 34 | 33 |
| Low °F | -37 | -36 | -35 | -14 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 23 | 10 | -10 | -32 | -29 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.7 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 6.5 | 8.4 | 10.4 | 8.7 | 7.4 | 7.8 |
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 mountain pass
- Wildflowers bloom late at pass elevations — often July to early August in the Rockies and Sierra.
- Check road status before driving: many high passes close seasonally or after storms.
- Look for the road itself as a leading line — switchbacks from above make strong compositions.
- Weather changes fast at elevation; carry layers even in summer.
- Summit pull-outs often face one direction; use the sun azimuth table to see whether sunrise or sunset suits the view.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Summer and early autumn are the main season; winter visits depend on plowing and avalanche conditions.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Tripod, Warm layers, Road-condition app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Thompson Pass, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
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When is the best time to photograph Thompson Pass?
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Where does the sun rise and set at Thompson Pass?
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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.