Mount Fairweather is a mountain peak in Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska at about 4,620 m (15,157 ft) above sea level. It is part of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. It sits roughly 192 km (119 mi) WNW of Juneau.
Mount Fairweather is a mountain located 20 km (12 mi) east of the Pacific Ocean on the Canada–United States border. With an elevation of 4,653 metres (15,266 ft), it is the tallest mountain in British Columbia and the seventh-tallest mountain in both Alaska and the United States. Fairweather is part of the Saint Elias Mountains and mostly lies within Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, though the summit borders Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. After a failed attempt in 1926, Fairweather was first climbed in 1931 by Allen Carpé and Terris Moore.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Fairweather”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Fairweather the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 38° (NE) at the June solstice and 139° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 323° (NW) in June to 222° (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) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:58 AM | 38° NE | 10:27 PM | 323° NW | 55° | 18h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 88° E | 7:12 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:03 AM | 139° SE | 3:15 PM | 222° SW | 8° | 6h 12m |
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 | 8:00 AM | 8:50 AM | 10:16 AM | 2:25 PM | 3:50 PM | 4:40 PM | 7h 00m |
| February | 7:03 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:46 AM | 4:04 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 20m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:21 AM | 6:19 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:12 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:24 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 28m |
| May | 3:41 AM | 4:40 AM | 5:44 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:34 PM | 10:33 PM | 16h 54m |
| June | 2:34 AM | 3:59 AM | 5:13 AM | 9:10 PM | 10:24 PM | 11:49 PM | 18h 26m |
| July | 3:15 AM | 4:24 AM | 5:33 AM | 9:00 PM | 10:09 PM | 11:19 PM | 17h 45m |
| August | 4:42 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:03 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 30m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:13 PM | 12h 52m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:45 AM | 5:08 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:46 PM | 10h 17m |
| November | 7:16 AM | 8:03 AM | 9:17 AM | 2:34 PM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 7h 46m |
| December | 8:04 AM | 8:58 AM | 10:42 AM | 1:30 PM | 3:14 PM | 4:08 PM | 6h 16m |
Local time (America/Juneau), 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 | — | -5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| 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 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). August is the warmest month and March 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 | 43 | 41 | 44 | 47 | 54 | 68 | 69 | 68 | 60 | 51 | 46 | 42 |
| Low °F | -3 | 0 | -2 | 15 | 28 | 35 | 40 | 43 | 37 | 21 | 5 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 17.8 | 14.5 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 7.1 | 8.7 | 13.2 | 18.8 | 20.2 | 19.7 | 20.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Fairweather, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Fairweather?
What time is golden hour at Mount Fairweather?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Fairweather?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Fairweather?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Fairweather?
How far is Mount Fairweather from Juneau?
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.