Located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Dinglishna Hill is a mountain peak at about 101 m (331 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Big Lake, about 36 km (22 mi) away (Dinglishna Hill lies WSW of town).
Dinglishna Hill is a hill located East of Mount Susitna, in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of South Central Alaska.From the Wikipedia article “Dinglishna Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dinglishna Hill the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 31° (NNE) at the June solstice and 144° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 329° (NNW) in June to 217° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 52° in summer but only 5° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:04 AM | 89° E | 8:17 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:21 AM | 31° NNE | 11:49 PM | 329° NNW | 52° | 19h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:47 AM | 88° E | 8:05 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:20 AM | 144° SE | 3:42 PM | 217° SW | 5° | 5h 22m |
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 | 9:06 AM | 10:02 AM | 11:54 AM | 2:31 PM | 4:23 PM | 5:19 PM | 6h 20m |
| February | 8:00 AM | 8:47 AM | 9:55 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:35 PM | 9h 02m |
| March | 7:37 AM | 8:20 AM | 9:18 AM | 7:06 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:48 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:14 PM | 14h 44m |
| May | 4:02 AM | 5:14 AM | 6:26 AM | 9:34 PM | 10:46 PM | 11:57 PM | 17h 32m |
| June | — | 4:21 AM | 5:49 AM | 10:18 PM | 11:46 PM | — | 19h 25m |
| July | 3:16 AM | 4:53 AM | 6:12 AM | 10:06 PM | 11:25 PM | 1:02 AM | 18h 33m |
| August | 5:16 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:14 AM | 9:01 PM | 10:05 PM | 11:00 PM | 15h 54m |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:27 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:11 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 8:02 AM | 8:46 AM | 9:49 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:36 PM | 10h 05m |
| November | 8:19 AM | 9:11 AM | 10:40 AM | 2:56 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:17 PM | 7h 14m |
| December | 9:13 AM | 10:15 AM | — | — | 3:42 PM | 4:44 PM | 5h 26m |
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 | — | -12° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.71 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.0+ 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 59% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 41 | 39 | 46 | 58 | 75 | 84 | 89 | 83 | 69 | 58 | 41 | 38 |
| Low °F | -19 | -16 | -12 | -5 | 17 | 37 | 42 | 39 | 21 | 0 | -12 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 |
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 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Dinglishna Hill, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dinglishna Hill?
What time is golden hour at Dinglishna Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dinglishna Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dinglishna Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dinglishna Hill?
How far is Dinglishna Hill from Big Lake?
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.