Located in Copper River Census Area, Alaska, Mount Churchill is a mountain peak at about 4,726 m (15,505 ft) above sea level. It is part of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
Mount Churchill is a dormant volcano in the Saint Elias Mountains and the Wrangell Volcanic Field (WVF) of eastern Alaska. Churchill and its neighbor Mount Bona are both ice-covered volcanoes with Churchill having a 2.7-by-4.2-kilometre-wide (1.7 mi × 2.6 mi) caldera just east of its summit. There are sparse outcrops of lava flows and tephra, mostly dacite. Subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath southeastern Alaska has largely ceased during the last one million years, causing a decline of the volcanic activity in the WVF. Churchill appears to be fed by melts derived from a stagnant slab in the mantle, left over by the previous subduction.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Churchill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Churchill 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) | 7:29 AM | 89° E | 7:42 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:45 AM | 31° NNE | 11:13 PM | 329° NNW | 52° | 19h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:12 AM | 88° E | 7:29 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:45 AM | 144° SE | 3:07 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 | 8:30 AM | 9:27 AM | 11:18 AM | 1:56 PM | 3:47 PM | 4:44 PM | 6h 20m |
| February | 7:25 AM | 8:11 AM | 9:19 AM | 4:05 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 02m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:43 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:29 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:17 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 44m |
| May | 3:27 AM | 4:38 AM | 5:50 AM | 8:58 PM | 10:10 PM | 11:22 PM | 17h 31m |
| June | — | 3:46 AM | 5:14 AM | 9:43 PM | 11:10 PM | — | 19h 24m |
| July | 2:41 AM | 4:17 AM | 5:37 AM | 9:30 PM | 10:50 PM | 12:26 AM | 18h 32m |
| August | 4:40 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:29 PM | 10:24 PM | 15h 54m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:36 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 9:13 AM | 5:14 PM | 6:16 PM | 7:00 PM | 10h 06m |
| November | 7:43 AM | 8:35 AM | 10:04 AM | 2:21 PM | 3:50 PM | 4:42 PM | 7h 14m |
| December | 8:37 AM | 9:40 AM | — | — | 3:06 PM | 4:09 PM | 5h 27m |
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: 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
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Churchill, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
GlacierFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Churchill?
What time is golden hour at Mount Churchill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Churchill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Churchill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Churchill?
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.