Devils Desk — a mountain peak in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska at about 1,767 m (5,797 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Katmai National Park and Preserve. The nearest town is Kodiak, about 135 km (84 mi) away (Devils Desk lies NW of town).
Devils Desk is a stratovolcano in Alaska's Katmai National Park, split between the Kodiak Island and Lake and Peninsula boroughs of that U.S. state. Its peak, which is located in Kodiak Island Borough, lies 5,879 feet (1,792 m) above sea level. It has an elevation of 6,411 ft (1,954 m). The age of the volcano is not certain, but a sample from the southwest face of the volcano was dated at 245,000 years old. The edifice represents the neck of a formerly larger stratovolcano, whose flanks have been removed by glacial erosion. The summit is almost encircled by Hook Glacier.From the Wikipedia article “Devils Desk”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Devils Desk the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 322° (NW) in June to 223° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:19 AM | 89° E | 8:31 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 39° NE | 11:30 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:03 AM | 88° E | 8:18 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:06 AM | 138° SE | 4:26 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 19m |
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 | 9:05 AM | 9:54 AM | 11:17 AM | 3:38 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:49 PM | 7h 06m |
| February | 8:09 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:51 AM | 5:14 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:56 PM | 9h 23m |
| March | 7:54 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:27 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:20 PM | 9:00 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:14 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:53 AM | 9:36 PM | 10:39 PM | 11:36 PM | 16h 48m |
| June | 3:50 AM | 5:10 AM | 6:22 AM | 10:15 PM | 11:27 PM | 12:47 AM | 18h 17m |
| July | 4:28 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:43 AM | 10:05 PM | 11:13 PM | 12:19 AM | 17h 37m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:37 AM | 9:09 PM | 10:06 PM | 10:53 PM | 15h 26m |
| September | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:40 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:19 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 8:14 AM | 8:54 AM | 9:50 AM | 6:17 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 8:21 AM | 9:07 AM | 10:20 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:44 PM | 7h 51m |
| December | 9:09 AM | 10:02 AM | 11:41 AM | 2:46 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:18 PM | 6h 23m |
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 | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| 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 2.0+ 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 65% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). July 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 | 39 | 38 | 40 | 57 | 69 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 66 | 52 | 46 | 41 |
| Low °F | -23 | -18 | -16 | -2 | 13 | 36 | 40 | 37 | 27 | 2 | -18 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 6.1 |
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 mountain peak
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Devils Desk, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Devils Desk?
What time is golden hour at Devils Desk?
Where does the sun rise and set at Devils Desk?
Can you see the Milky Way from Devils Desk?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Devils Desk?
How far is Devils Desk from Kodiak?
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.