Gastineau Peak — a mountain peak in Juneau City and Borough, Alaska at about 1,036 m (3,399 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Juneau, about 4.6 km (2.9 mi) away (Gastineau Peak lies ESE of town).
Gastineau Peak is a mountain in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, United States. It is a part of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains in western North America. It is located 1.6 miles west of Sheep Mountain and 2.4 miles southeast of the city of Juneau. The name was already in use and noted by United States Geological Survey (USGS) official D. C. Witherspoon in 1916 and first published in 1918. It was entered into the USGS's Geographic Names Information System on March 31, 1981.From the Wikipedia article “Gastineau Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gastineau Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 137° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 321° (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) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 32° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:52 AM | 39° NE | 10:08 PM | 321° NW | 55° | 18h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 88° E | 6:59 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:45 AM | 137° SE | 3:08 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 23m |
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 | 7:44 AM | 8:33 AM | 9:55 AM | 2:20 PM | 3:42 PM | 4:30 PM | 7h 08m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:30 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 24m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:08 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:02 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 24m |
| May | 3:35 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:34 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:18 PM | 10:14 PM | 16h 46m |
| June | 2:34 AM | 3:52 AM | 5:04 AM | 8:54 PM | 10:06 PM | 11:23 PM | 18h 14m |
| July | 3:11 AM | 4:17 AM | 5:24 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:51 PM | 10:57 PM | 17h 35m |
| August | 4:33 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 25m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 20m |
| November | 7:01 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:58 AM | 2:28 PM | 3:39 PM | 4:25 PM | 7h 53m |
| December | 7:48 AM | 8:41 AM | 10:17 AM | 1:30 PM | 3:06 PM | 3:59 PM | 6h 26m |
Local time (America/Juneau), 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 | — | -2° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.86 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 36 | 45 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 55 | 44 | 38 |
| Low °F | -27 | -22 | -19 | -3 | 10 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 27 | 1 | -19 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.0 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
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 Gastineau Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Scenic ViewpointWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Dan Moller Cabin7.3 km (4.5 mi) · reservable
- Admiralty Cove Cabin18.0 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Mendenhall Campground18.7 km (11.6 mi) · reservable
- Young Lake (North) Cabin19.5 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
- Sítʼ Yá Hítʼ Cabin19.5 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gastineau Peak?
What time is golden hour at Gastineau Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gastineau Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Gastineau Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Gastineau Peak?
How far is Gastineau Peak from Juneau?
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.