Located in Sitka City and Borough, Alaska, Mount Edgecumbe is a mountain peak at about 938 m (3,077 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Sitka, about 25 km (16 mi) away (Mount Edgecumbe lies W of town).
Mount Edgecumbe (Tlingit: Lʼúx, Russian: Эджком) is a dormant stratovolcano located at the southern end of Kruzof Island, Alaska, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Sitka. The volcano has been dormant for over 800 years. Mount Edgecumbe is about 9.9 miles (16 km) east of the Queen Charlotte Fault that separates the North American and Pacific Plates, and is the highest point in the Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field, an area of about 100 square miles (260 km2) on Kruzof Island that also includes Crater Ridge and Shell Mountain. Mount Edgecumbe has not had a major eruption in 4000 years. Recent earthquake activity shows magma intrusion at a depth of 3 miles (5 km), but as of 2022, an eruption does not appear to be imminent. It has been classified by the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) as "historically active". Mount Edgecumbe was a prop in a 1974 April Fools' Joke, which involved tricking the...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Edgecumbe (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Edgecumbe 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) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 33° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:08 AM | 41° NE | 10:03 PM | 319° NW | 56° | 17h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 88° E | 7:04 PM | 272° W | 33° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:41 AM | 135° SE | 3:23 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 | 7:45 AM | 8:31 AM | 9:46 AM | 2:40 PM | 3:55 PM | 4:42 PM | 7h 24m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:07 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 32m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:15 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 47m |
| April | 5:13 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 17m |
| May | 3:52 AM | 4:45 AM | 5:44 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:16 PM | 10:08 PM | 16h 31m |
| June | 3:01 AM | 4:09 AM | 5:16 AM | 8:53 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:08 PM | 17h 52m |
| July | 3:32 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:35 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:48 PM | 10:47 PM | 17h 16m |
| August | 4:46 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 14m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:23 PM | 8:02 PM | 12h 49m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:31 AM | 5:08 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 25m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:53 AM | 2:44 PM | 3:51 PM | 4:35 PM | 8h 06m |
| December | 7:47 AM | 8:37 AM | 10:02 AM | 1:56 PM | 3:22 PM | 4:11 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Edgecumbe, closest first.
LighthouseLighthouseLighthouse
State Park
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Freds Creek Cabin8.8 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Shelikof Cabin12.7 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- North Beach Cabin13.4 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
- Brents Beach Cabin14.8 km (9.2 mi) · reservable
- Starrigavan Campground And Day Use25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Edgecumbe?
What time is golden hour at Mount Edgecumbe?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Edgecumbe?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Edgecumbe?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Edgecumbe?
How far is Mount Edgecumbe 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.