Located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Mount Hunter is a mountain peak at about 4,343 m (14,249 ft) above sea level. It is part of Denali National Park and Preserve. The nearest town is Meadow Lakes, about 166 km (103 mi) away (Mount Hunter lies NNW of town).
Mount Hunter or Begguya is a mountain in Denali National Park in Alaska. It is approximately eight miles (13 km) south of Denali, the highest peak in North America. "Begguya" means child (of Denali) in the Dena'ina language. Mount Hunter is the third-highest major peak in the Alaska Range.[1] Mount Hunter has a complex structure: it is topped by a large, low-angled glacier plateau, connecting the North (Main) Summit and the South Summit (13,965 feet or 4,257 m). Long, corniced ridges extend in various directions; between them are exceptionally steep faces.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Hunter (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Hunter the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 26° (NNE) at the June solstice and 148° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 335° (NNW) in June to 212° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 50° in summer but only 4° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:06 AM | 89° E | 8:19 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:58 AM | 26° NNE | 12:15 AM | 335° NNW | 50° | 20h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:49 AM | 88° E | 8:07 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 18m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:41 AM | 148° SSE | 3:25 PM | 212° SSW | 4° | 4h 44m |
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 | 9:17 AM | 10:19 AM | — | — | 4:10 PM | 5:12 PM | 5h 51m |
| February | 8:06 AM | 8:55 AM | 10:09 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:33 PM | 8h 49m |
| March | 7:37 AM | 8:23 AM | 9:24 AM | 7:04 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:51 PM | 11h 43m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:25 PM | 14h 55m |
| May | 3:37 AM | 5:02 AM | 6:20 AM | 9:43 PM | 11:01 PM | 12:26 AM | 17h 59m |
| June | — | 4:00 AM | 5:40 AM | 10:31 PM | 12:12 AM | — | 20h 12m |
| July | — | 4:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 10:17 PM | 11:45 PM | — | 19h 09m |
| August | 5:04 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:12 AM | 9:08 PM | 10:15 PM | 11:15 PM | 16h 11m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:18 PM | 13h 01m |
| October | 8:05 AM | 8:52 AM | 9:58 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:36 PM | 9h 57m |
| November | 8:28 AM | 9:24 AM | 11:06 AM | 2:34 PM | 4:16 PM | 5:12 PM | 6h 52m |
| December | 9:26 AM | 10:36 AM | — | — | 3:25 PM | 4:35 PM | 4h 49m |
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 | — | -8° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 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 53% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 35 | 35 | 40 | 47 | 62 | 73 | 73 | 75 | 63 | 50 | 36 | 33 |
| Low °F | -30 | -27 | -27 | -12 | 6 | 23 | 37 | 28 | 13 | -8 | -21 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
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.
- 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 Hunter, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Hunter?
What time is golden hour at Mount Hunter?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Hunter?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Hunter?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Hunter?
How far is Mount Hunter from Meadow Lakes?
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.