Located in Petersburg Borough, Alaska, Devils Thumb is a mountain peak at about 2,183 m (7,162 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 47 km (29 mi) NE of Petersburg.
Devils Thumb,[1][2] or Taalkhunaxhkʼu Shaa in Tlingit, is a mountain in the Stikine Icecap region of the Alaska–British Columbia border, near Petersburg. It is named for its projected thumb-like appearance. Its name in the Tlingit language means "the mountain that never flooded" and is said to have been a refuge for people during Aangalakhu ("the Great Flood"). It is one of the peaks that marks the border between the United States and Canada, and is also listed on maps as Boundary Peak 71. Devils Thumb is a very challenging climb even for advanced mountain climbers.From the Wikipedia article “Devils Thumb”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Devils Thumb the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 41° (NE) at the June solstice and 135° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 319° (NW) in June to 225° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 56° in summer but only 9° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:52 AM | 89° E | 8:03 PM | 271° W | 33° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:55 AM | 41° NE | 10:49 PM | 319° NW | 56° | 17h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:35 AM | 88° E | 7:51 PM | 272° W | 33° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:28 AM | 135° SE | 5:09 PM | 225° SW | 9° | 6h 41m |
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 | 8:31 AM | 9:18 AM | 10:33 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:28 PM | 7h 24m |
| February | 7:39 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:16 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:30 PM | 9h 32m |
| March | 7:28 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:57 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:31 PM | 11h 47m |
| April | 6:00 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:40 PM | 14h 17m |
| May | 4:38 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:31 AM | 9:03 PM | 10:02 PM | 10:55 PM | 16h 31m |
| June | 3:46 AM | 4:55 AM | 6:02 AM | 9:39 PM | 10:47 PM | 11:55 PM | 17h 52m |
| July | 4:18 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:21 AM | 9:31 PM | 10:34 PM | 11:34 PM | 17h 17m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:32 PM | 10:18 PM | 15h 15m |
| September | 6:42 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:12 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:49 PM | 12h 49m |
| October | 7:45 AM | 8:24 AM | 9:17 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:27 PM | 10h 25m |
| November | 8:48 AM | 9:32 AM | 10:40 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:22 PM | 8h 05m |
| December | 9:34 AM | 10:23 AM | 11:49 AM | 3:42 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:57 PM | 6h 44m |
Local time (America/Vancouver), 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 | — | -10° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 1.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show February as the clearest month (about 71% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (79%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 38 | 35 | 44 | 44 | 50 | 61 | 68 | 67 | 61 | 50 | 38 | 36 |
| Low °F | -36 | -31 | -34 | -8 | 1 | 23 | 30 | 29 | 20 | -12 | -28 | -29 |
| Precip. (in) | 12.3 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 9.8 | 14.1 | 14.1 | 13.0 | 12.1 |
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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Devils Thumb?
What time is golden hour at Devils Thumb?
Where does the sun rise and set at Devils Thumb?
Can you see the Milky Way from Devils Thumb?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Devils Thumb?
How far is Devils Thumb from Petersburg?
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.