Mount Denison — a mountain peak in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska at about 2,104 m (6,903 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Kodiak, about 139 km (86 mi) away (Mount Denison lies WNW of town).
Mount Denison is a stratovolcano and one of the highest peaks on the Alaska Peninsula. Discovered in 1923 by Harvard professor Kirtley Fletcher Mather, the mountain was named for the geologist's alma mater, Denison University. The mountain's connection to Denison also include its first climbers: all members of the first two ascent teams as well as the group that attempted in 1977 were either students, alumni, or faculty of the university. Mount Denison is located at the end of a volcanic chain in a heavily glaciated and very remote section of Katmai National Park. It is possibly the tallest mountain in the national park, though some sources list Mount Griggs as the highest. Mount Griggs, on the other hand, is much more accessible, being next to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, which can be reached via the road from the national park's visitor center. There is no record of an...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Denison”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Denison the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 322° (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) | 8:20 AM | 89° E | 8:32 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 39° NE | 11:30 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:04 AM | 88° E | 8:19 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:07 AM | 138° SE | 4:27 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 20m |
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 | 9:05 AM | 9:54 AM | 11:17 AM | 3:39 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:50 PM | 7h 07m |
| February | 8:09 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:51 AM | 5:15 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:56 PM | 9h 24m |
| March | 7:55 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:27 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:21 PM | 9:00 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:31 PM | 10:15 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:54 AM | 9:36 PM | 10:39 PM | 11:36 PM | 16h 48m |
| June | 3:52 AM | 5:11 AM | 6:23 AM | 10:15 PM | 11:27 PM | 12:46 AM | 18h 16m |
| July | 4:29 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:44 AM | 10:05 PM | 11:13 PM | 12:19 AM | 17h 37m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:37 AM | 9:09 PM | 10:06 PM | 10:54 PM | 15h 25m |
| September | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:41 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:20 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 8:14 AM | 8:55 AM | 9:51 AM | 6:18 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:54 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 8:22 AM | 9:08 AM | 10:20 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:45 PM | 7h 51m |
| December | 9:09 AM | 10:02 AM | 11:40 AM | 2:48 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:18 PM | 6h 24m |
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 | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 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 2.0+ 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 65% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 39 | 38 | 40 | 57 | 69 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 66 | 52 | 46 | 41 |
| Low °F | -23 | -18 | -16 | -2 | 13 | 36 | 40 | 37 | 27 | 2 | -18 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 6.1 |
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.
- 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 Denison, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Denison?
What time is golden hour at Mount Denison?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Denison?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Denison?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Denison?
How far is Mount Denison from Kodiak?
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.