Black Peak — a mountain peak in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska at about 941 m (3,087 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers.
Black Peak is a highly eroded stratovolcano comprising a lava dome complex on the Alaska Peninsula of the U.S. state of Alaska. Also called Purple Crater, Black Volcano or Sopka Chornaia, the mountain is located within the Lake and Peninsula Borough. The latest eruption from Black Peak less than 4,000 years ago produced an explosive VEI-6 eruption that created a caldera. Ash flow tuffs and block and ash flow deposits from this explosive eruption traveled down the Ash Creek and Bluff Creek valleys that reach depths of 100 m (328 ft).From the Wikipedia article “Black Peak (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Black Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 42° (NE) at the June solstice and 135° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 318° (NW) in June to 226° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 57° in summer but only 10° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:38 AM | 89° E | 8:49 PM | 271° W | 33° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:45 AM | 42° NE | 11:31 PM | 318° NW | 57° | 17h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:21 AM | 88° E | 8:36 PM | 272° W | 34° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:10 AM | 135° SE | 4:59 PM | 226° SW | 10° | 6h 49m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:15 AM | 10:00 AM | 11:13 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:16 PM | 7h 30m |
| February | 8:23 AM | 9:03 AM | 9:59 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:17 PM | 9h 35m |
| March | 8:14 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:41 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 11h 48m |
| April | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:19 AM | 8:52 PM | 9:43 PM | 10:24 PM | 14h 15m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:18 AM | 9:47 PM | 10:45 PM | 11:36 PM | 16h 25m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:51 AM | 10:22 PM | 11:28 PM | 12:33 AM | 17h 44m |
| July | 5:09 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:09 AM | 10:14 PM | 11:16 PM | 12:14 AM | 17h 09m |
| August | 6:21 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:59 AM | 9:22 PM | 10:16 PM | 11:00 PM | 15h 10m |
| September | 7:29 AM | 8:07 AM | 8:57 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:33 PM | 12h 48m |
| October | 8:30 AM | 9:08 AM | 10:01 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:13 PM | 10h 26m |
| November | 8:32 AM | 9:15 AM | 10:21 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:26 PM | 6:09 PM | 8h 10m |
| December | 9:17 AM | 10:05 AM | 11:27 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:46 PM | 6h 52m |
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 | — | -9° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
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 ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.0+ 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 76% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (85%). 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 | 41 | 42 | 45 | 52 | 66 | 72 | 76 | 78 | 68 | 56 | 51 | 46 |
| Low °F | -10 | -10 | -2 | 5 | 21 | 30 | 39 | 39 | 31 | 19 | 9 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
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 peak
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Black Peak?
What time is golden hour at Black Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Black Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Black Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Black Peak?
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.