Windy Pass — a mountain pass in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,203 m (7,228 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 16.7 km (10.4 mi) WSW of Leavenworth.
Windy Pass (el. 6507 ft.) is a mountain pass in the Cascade Mountains in Washington. It is in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.From the Wikipedia article “Windy Pass (Alpine Lakes)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Windy Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 53° NE | 9:05 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:49 AM | 125° SE | 4:15 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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 | 7:13 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:37 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:14 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:26 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 36m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 19m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Windy Pass, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:37 AM – 4:17 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:36 AM – 2:56 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:07 AM – 1:57 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:38 PM – 12:58 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:20 PM – 10:50 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.56 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 51 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 86 | 95 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 78 | 60 | 45 |
| Low °F | -11 | -4 | -1 | 16 | 22 | 31 | 37 | 39 | 28 | 12 | -6 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Windy Pass, closest first.
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Ghost Town
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Chatter Creek Group Site6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Icicle Group Campground6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Bridge Creek Group Site7.1 km (4.4 mi) · reservable
- Eightmile Campground8.1 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
- Eightmile Group Site8.1 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Windy Pass?
What time is golden hour at Windy Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Windy Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Windy Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Windy Pass?
How far is Windy Pass from Leavenworth?
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.