Mount Griggs is a mountain peak in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska at about 2,312 m (7,585 ft) above sea level. It is part of Katmai National Park and Preserve. The nearest town is Kodiak, about 170 km (106 mi) away (Mount Griggs lies WNW of town).
Mount Griggs, formerly known as Knife Peak Volcano, is a stratovolcano, which lies 10 km behind the volcanic arc defined by other Katmai group volcanoes. Although no historic eruptions have been reported from Mount Griggs, vigorously active fumaroles persist in a summit crater and along the upper southwest flank. The fumaroles on the southwest flank are the hottest, and some of the flank fumaroles can roar so loudly that they can be heard from the valley floor. The slopes of Mount Griggs are heavily mantled by fallout from the 1912 eruption of Novarupta volcano. The summit consists of three concentric craters, the lowest and largest of which contains a recent summit cone topped by two craters. The volume of the volcanic edifice is estimated at 25 cubic kilometers (6.0 cu mi). Isotopic analysis indicates that the source of Griggs' magma is distinct from the other Katmai volcanoes.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Griggs”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Griggs 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) | 8:23 AM | 89° E | 8:35 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 39° NE | 11:32 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:06 AM | 88° E | 8:22 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:09 AM | 138° SE | 4:30 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 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 | 9:08 AM | 9:57 AM | 11:18 AM | 3:43 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:53 PM | 7h 08m |
| February | 8:12 AM | 8:53 AM | 9:53 AM | 5:18 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:59 PM | 9h 24m |
| March | 7:57 AM | 8:37 AM | 9:30 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:23 PM | 9:03 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:39 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:17 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:57 AM | 9:39 PM | 10:41 PM | 11:38 PM | 16h 47m |
| June | 3:56 AM | 5:14 AM | 6:26 AM | 10:17 PM | 11:29 PM | 12:47 AM | 18h 15m |
| July | 4:33 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:46 AM | 10:07 PM | 11:15 PM | 12:21 AM | 17h 35m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:40 AM | 9:11 PM | 10:08 PM | 10:56 PM | 15h 25m |
| September | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:22 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 8:17 AM | 8:57 AM | 9:53 AM | 6:20 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:57 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 8:24 AM | 9:10 AM | 10:22 AM | 3:50 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:48 PM | 7h 52m |
| December | 9:11 AM | 10:04 AM | 11:41 AM | 2:52 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:21 PM | 6h 25m |
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 | — | -1° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 53 | 65 | 76 | 82 | 79 | 67 | 54 | 45 | 38 |
| Low °F | -40 | -36 | -25 | -8 | 11 | 32 | 38 | 34 | 23 | -6 | -24 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Griggs, closest first.
Mountain Peak
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Volcano
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfallFAQ
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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.