![Mount Mageik (2,165 m [7,103 ft] high) and Mount Martin (1,863 m [6,112 ft] high; on skyline at right) volcanoes, both emitting steam plumes from their summits,](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/MountMageik.jpg/960px-MountMageik.jpg)
Located in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Mount Mageik is a mountain peak at about 2,045 m (6,709 ft) above sea level. It is part of Katmai National Park and Preserve. It sits roughly 174 km (108 mi) WNW of Kodiak.
Mount Mageik is a stratovolcano on the Alaska Peninsula. It has no confirmed historical eruptions (one in 1946 is now deemed questionable), but its youngest eruptive products are apparently Holocene in age (8750 to 500 BCE). A young crater lies on the northeast flank of the central summit cone, and is the site of vigorous superheated fumarolic activity with prominent sulfur deposits. The volcanic cones are composed of andesite, basaltic andesite and dacite. The volcano is mantled in ash from the 1912 eruption of Novarupta and from the 1953 eruption of nearby Trident Volcano.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Mageik”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Mageik the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 137° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 321° (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) | 5:16 AM | 39° NE | 11:31 PM | 321° NW | 55° | 18h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:07 AM | 88° E | 8:22 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:08 AM | 137° SE | 4:32 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 24m |
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 | 9:56 AM | 11:17 AM | 3:45 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:55 PM | 7h 10m |
| February | 8:12 AM | 8:54 AM | 9:53 AM | 5:19 PM | 6:19 PM | 7:00 PM | 9h 25m |
| March | 7:58 AM | 8:37 AM | 9:30 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:24 PM | 9:03 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:17 PM | 14h 24m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:58 AM | 9:39 PM | 10:41 PM | 11:37 PM | 16h 45m |
| June | 4:00 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:28 AM | 10:17 PM | 11:28 PM | 12:45 AM | 18h 12m |
| July | 4:36 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:48 AM | 10:07 PM | 11:14 PM | 12:19 AM | 17h 33m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:41 AM | 9:12 PM | 10:08 PM | 10:55 PM | 15h 23m |
| September | 7:12 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:44 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:22 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 8:17 AM | 8:57 AM | 9:53 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 10h 20m |
| November | 8:24 AM | 9:10 AM | 10:21 AM | 3:52 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:49 PM | 7h 54m |
| December | 9:11 AM | 10:03 AM | 11:39 AM | 2:55 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:23 PM | 6h 27m |
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
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- 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.
- 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 Mageik, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Volcano
WaterfallWaterfall
Volcano
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Mageik?
What time is golden hour at Mount Mageik?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Mageik?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Mageik?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Mageik?
How far is Mount Mageik from Kodiak?
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.