Mount Iliamna — a mountain peak in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. It sits roughly 96 km (60 mi) WNW of Homer.
Iliamna Volcano, or Mount Iliamna (Dena'ina: Ch’naqał’in; Alutiiq: Puyulek), is a glacier-covered stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range in southwest Alaska. Located in the Chigmit Mountain subrange in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, the 10,016-foot (3,053 m) volcano lies approximately 134 miles (215 km) southwest of Anchorage on the west side of lower Cook Inlet. It is the 25th most prominent peak in the United States. The volcano's glaciers have extensively altered its profile, cutting, deep and creating steep cliffs and cirques. A ridge extends 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south from the main body of the mountain, with North Twin and South Twin peaks along its length. There is no summit crater, only a zone of fumaroles just south of the summit at the top of large collapse zone at the head of Red Glacier, which exposes a cross section of the mountain.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Iliamna”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Iliamna the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 35° (NE) at the June solstice and 141° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 325° (NW) in June to 220° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 53° in summer but only 7° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:14 AM | 89° E | 8:27 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:49 AM | 35° NE | 11:41 PM | 325° NW | 53° | 18h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:58 AM | 88° E | 8:14 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:16 AM | 141° SE | 4:07 PM | 220° SW | 7° | 5h 51m |
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 | 10:01 AM | 11:35 AM | 3:10 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:37 PM | 6h 43m |
| February | 8:07 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:55 AM | 5:00 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:48 PM | 9h 13m |
| March | 7:48 AM | 8:30 AM | 9:25 AM | 7:19 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:56 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:17 PM | 14h 35m |
| May | 4:31 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:42 AM | 9:37 PM | 10:44 PM | 11:48 PM | 17h 10m |
| June | 3:05 AM | 4:49 AM | 6:08 AM | 10:19 PM | 11:38 PM | 1:23 AM | 18h 50m |
| July | 3:58 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:30 AM | 10:08 PM | 11:21 PM | 12:39 AM | 18h 04m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:28 AM | 9:08 PM | 10:08 PM | 10:59 PM | 15h 40m |
| September | 6:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:36 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:18 PM | 12h 54m |
| October | 8:10 AM | 8:53 AM | 9:52 AM | 6:05 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:47 PM | 10h 12m |
| November | 8:23 AM | 9:12 AM | 10:31 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:33 PM | 7h 32m |
| December | 9:13 AM | 10:11 AM | 12:16 PM | 2:01 PM | 4:06 PM | 5:04 PM | 5h 55m |
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 | — | -5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 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 March as the clearest month (about 60% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 37 | 34 | 38 | 44 | 57 | 75 | 76 | 70 | 61 | 47 | 40 | 35 |
| Low °F | -41 | -37 | -34 | -18 | -10 | 28 | 34 | 26 | 13 | -10 | -41 | -36 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 6.6 | 5.4 | 5.5 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Iliamna?
What time is golden hour at Mount Iliamna?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Iliamna?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Iliamna?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Iliamna?
How far is Mount Iliamna from Homer?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.