Mount La Perouse — a mountain peak in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska at about 3,183 m (10,443 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. It sits roughly 158 km (98 mi) WNW of Juneau.
Mount La Perouse is a 10,728-foot (3,270 m) glaciated mountain summit located in the Fairweather Range of the Saint Elias Mountains, in southeast Alaska, United States. The peak is situated in Glacier Bay National Park, 4 mi (6 km) southeast of Mount Dagelet, 7.6 mi (12 km) south-southeast of Mount Crillon which is the nearest higher peak, and 28.6 mi (46 km) southeast of Mount Fairweather, which is the highest peak in the Fairweather Range. Topographic relief is significant as the mountain rises up from tidewater in less than nine miles. The mountain was named in 1874 by William Healey Dall of the U.S. Geological Survey, for Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (1741–1788), a French navigator who explored this coastal area in 1786. On February 16, 2014, a colossal 68 million ton landslide broke free from the flanks of Mt. La Perouse and flowed nearly 4.6 miles (7.4 km) from...From the Wikipedia article “Mount La Perouse”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount La Perouse the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 38° (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) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:00 AM | 38° NE | 10:22 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 88° E | 7:10 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:58 AM | 138° SE | 3:16 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 18m |
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 | 7:57 AM | 8:46 AM | 10:09 AM | 2:28 PM | 3:51 PM | 4:40 PM | 7h 05m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:43 AM | 4:04 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 22m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:18 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:12 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:22 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 26m |
| May | 3:43 AM | 4:41 AM | 5:44 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:28 PM | 16h 49m |
| June | 2:40 AM | 4:00 AM | 5:13 AM | 9:06 PM | 10:19 PM | 11:39 PM | 18h 19m |
| July | 3:18 AM | 4:25 AM | 5:33 AM | 8:56 PM | 10:04 PM | 11:12 PM | 17h 39m |
| August | 4:42 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 27m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:11 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:42 AM | 5:08 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:44 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 7:13 AM | 7:59 AM | 9:12 AM | 2:36 PM | 3:49 PM | 4:35 PM | 7h 50m |
| December | 8:01 AM | 8:54 AM | 10:33 AM | 1:36 PM | 3:15 PM | 4:08 PM | 6h 21m |
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 | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 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
- 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 La Perouse, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount La Perouse?
What time is golden hour at Mount La Perouse?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount La Perouse?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount La Perouse?
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How far is Mount La Perouse 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.