White Pass (Washington) is a mountain pass in Yakima County, Washington at about 1,365 m (4,478 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 49 km (30 mi) W of Tieton.
White Pass (elev. 4,500 feet (1,372 m)) is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, in the Cascade Range of Washington, southeast of Mount Rainier and north of Goat Rocks. U.S. Highway 12 travels over White Pass, connecting Yakima County on the east with Lewis County. It was named after Charles A. White, a surveying engineer who led the party that discovered it for the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1878. A shortcut route across White Pass between Packwood and Naches was first established as State Road 5 in 1931, and the link was completed in August 1951 along the current route, later designated U.S. Route 12. White Pass Ski Area, at the summit, opened on January 11, 1953. Champion ski racing twins Phil and Steve Mahre, along with their family, grew up on White Pass where their father Dave Mahre was the mountain manager for the ski area. White Pass is also the home mountain of...From the Wikipedia article “White Pass (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At White Pass (Washington) 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) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 54° NE | 9:03 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 51m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 125° SE | 4:21 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 33m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 59m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 21m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 01m |
| June | 4:33 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 49m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 29m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 13m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 25m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 35m |
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 White Pass (Washington), 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 | 5:23 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:26 AM – 4:16 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:32 AM – 3:02 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:54 PM – 2:14 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:31 PM – 1:11 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:19 PM – 11:09 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 9:04 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 ≈ 21.57 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 mountain pass
- 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.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 White Pass (Washington), closest first.
Waterfall
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfallScenic Viewpoint
GlacierWilderness AreaMountain PeakGlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- White Pass Lake (Leech Lake) Campground863 m
- Dog Lake Campground2.9 km (1.8 mi)
- Clear Lake Group Site9.4 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Indian Creek Campground (Wa)11.3 km (7.0 mi) · reservable
- La Wis Wis Campground15.6 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph White Pass (Washington)?
What time is golden hour at White Pass (Washington)?
Where does the sun rise and set at White Pass (Washington)?
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How far is White Pass (Washington) from Tieton?
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.