Located in Copper River Census Area, Alaska, Mount Bear is a mountain peak at about 4,515 m (14,813 ft) above sea level. It is part of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
Mount Bear is a high, glaciated peak in the Saint Elias Mountains of Alaska. It lies within Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the Yukon border. The Barnard Glacier flows from its southwest slopes, while the Klutlan Glacier lies to the north. Its principal claim to fame is that it is a fourteener, and in fact one of the highest 20 peaks in the United States. Despite its height, Mount Bear is a little-visited peak, being surrounded by higher and better-known peaks such as Mount Bona on the west, and Mount Lucania and Mount Logan on the east. However it is a large peak even in relative terms: for example, the drop from the summit to the Barnard Glacier is 8,000 ft (2,440 m) in less than 5 miles (8 km), and 10,000 ft (3,050 m) in less than 12 miles (19.3 km).From the Wikipedia article “Mount Bear”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Bear the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 32° (NNE) at the June solstice and 143° (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) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:45 AM | 32° NNE | 11:09 PM | 329° NNW | 52° | 19h 24m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:09 AM | 88° E | 7:27 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:41 AM | 143° SE | 3:06 PM | 217° SW | 5° | 5h 26m |
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 | 8:27 AM | 9:23 AM | 11:13 AM | 1:57 PM | 3:46 PM | 4:42 PM | 6h 23m |
| February | 7:22 AM | 8:08 AM | 9:16 AM | 4:03 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 03m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:40 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:26 PM | 8:09 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:15 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:35 PM | 14h 43m |
| May | 3:26 AM | 4:37 AM | 5:49 AM | 8:55 PM | 10:06 PM | 11:17 PM | 17h 29m |
| June | — | 3:46 AM | 5:13 AM | 9:39 PM | 11:06 PM | — | 19h 20m |
| July | 2:42 AM | 4:16 AM | 5:35 AM | 9:27 PM | 10:46 PM | 12:20 AM | 18h 29m |
| August | 4:39 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:21 PM | 15h 52m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:33 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 8:08 AM | 9:10 AM | 5:12 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:58 PM | 10h 06m |
| November | 7:40 AM | 8:32 AM | 9:59 AM | 2:21 PM | 3:48 PM | 4:40 PM | 7h 16m |
| December | 8:34 AM | 9:36 AM | — | — | 3:06 PM | 4:08 PM | 5h 30m |
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 | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| 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 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 62% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 34 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 45 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 44 | 43 | 31 | 29 |
| Low °F | -46 | -46 | -51 | -23 | -4 | 13 | 17 | 11 | 3 | -21 | -34 | -39 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Mount Bear, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Bear?
What time is golden hour at Mount Bear?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Bear?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Bear?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Bear?
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.