Located in Sitka City and Borough, Alaska, Mount Bassie is a mountain peak at about 1,305 m (4,281 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Sitka, about 17.4 km (10.8 mi) away (Mount Bassie lies E of town).
Mount Bassie is a large mountain in the center of Baranof Island, Alaska, United States, within the City and Borough of Sitka. Mount Bassie is a massive hulk of rock, its footprint covering nearly five square miles. It is bordered by the Blue Lake and Medvejie Lake watersheds and the Baranof River watershed, effectively splitting the island in two (one can see both Chatham Strait and the Pacific Ocean from the peak and its surrounding ridges). Mount Bassie is adjacent to Camp Lake, from which ascents typically originate. It is fairly isolated in terms of sister peaks and has only two modest lower ridges running off the south and north sides of the mountain. The rest of the mountain slopes down steeply into surrounding river valleys.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Bassie”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Bassie 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 10° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 33° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:06 AM | 41° NE | 10:00 PM | 319° NW | 56° | 17h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 88° E | 7:01 PM | 272° W | 33° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:38 AM | 135° SE | 3:20 PM | 225° SW | 10° | 6h 42m |
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 | 7:42 AM | 8:28 AM | 9:43 AM | 2:37 PM | 3:52 PM | 4:39 PM | 7h 24m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:04 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 32m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:13 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 47m |
| April | 5:10 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:17 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 17m |
| May | 3:49 AM | 4:42 AM | 5:41 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:13 PM | 10:06 PM | 16h 31m |
| June | 2:58 AM | 4:06 AM | 5:13 AM | 8:50 PM | 9:57 PM | 11:06 PM | 17h 52m |
| July | 3:29 AM | 4:29 AM | 5:32 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:45 PM | 10:45 PM | 17h 16m |
| August | 4:43 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 15m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 49m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:28 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 25m |
| November | 6:59 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:50 AM | 2:41 PM | 3:49 PM | 4:32 PM | 8h 06m |
| December | 7:44 AM | 8:34 AM | 10:00 AM | 1:53 PM | 3:19 PM | 4:08 PM | 6h 45m |
Local time (America/Sitka), 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: 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 ≈ 21.87 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 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 50 | 46 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 83 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 51 | 48 |
| Low °F | -5 | -1 | -3 | 16 | 27 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 34 | 20 | -1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.3 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 7.5 | 10.4 | 10.8 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
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
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- 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.
- 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 Mount Bassie, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Hot Spring
Mountain Peak
Lighthouse
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
State ParkLighthouseCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Baranof Lake Cabin9.0 km (5.6 mi) · reservable
- Salmon Lake Cabin Sitka12.3 km (7.7 mi) · reservable
- Samsing Cove Cabin20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Starrigavan Creek Cabin21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Starrigavan Campground And Day Use21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Bassie?
What time is golden hour at Mount Bassie?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Bassie?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Bassie?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Bassie?
How far is Mount Bassie from Sitka?
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.