Mount Mather is a mountain peak in Denali Borough, Alaska at about 3,631 m (11,913 ft) above sea level. It is part of Denali National Park and Preserve. The nearest town is Meadow Lakes, about 180 km (112 mi) away (Mount Mather lies NNW of town).
Mount Mather is a 12,096-foot (3,687 m) mountain in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve. Mount Mather lies to the northeast of Denali, overlooking Brooks Glacier. The mountain itself is covered by glaciers. Mount Mather was named in 1947 in honor of National Park Service director Stephen Mather.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Mather (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Mather the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 25° (NNE) at the June solstice and 149° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 336° (NNW) in June to 212° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 50° in summer but only 3° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:03 AM | 89° E | 8:17 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:51 AM | 25° NNE | 12:17 AM | 336° NNW | 50° | 20h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:46 AM | 88° E | 8:04 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 18m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:42 AM | 149° SSE | 3:19 PM | 212° SSW | 3° | 4h 37m |
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 | 9:16 AM | 10:19 AM | — | — | 4:05 PM | 5:08 PM | 5h 46m |
| February | 8:04 AM | 8:53 AM | 10:08 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:30 PM | 8h 47m |
| March | 7:34 AM | 8:20 AM | 9:22 AM | 7:01 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:49 PM | 11h 43m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:31 PM | 10:24 PM | 14h 57m |
| May | 3:29 AM | 4:57 AM | 6:16 AM | 9:42 PM | 11:01 PM | 12:29 AM | 18h 04m |
| June | — | 3:53 AM | 5:35 AM | 10:31 PM | 12:14 AM | — | 20h 21m |
| July | — | 4:31 AM | 6:00 AM | 10:16 PM | 11:46 PM | — | 19h 15m |
| August | 4:59 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:08 AM | 9:06 PM | 10:14 PM | 11:15 PM | 16h 14m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:16 PM | 13h 01m |
| October | 8:03 AM | 8:50 AM | 9:57 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:33 PM | 9h 56m |
| November | 8:27 AM | 9:23 AM | 11:08 AM | 2:26 PM | 4:11 PM | 5:08 PM | 6h 48m |
| December | 9:25 AM | 10:37 AM | — | — | 3:19 PM | 4:31 PM | 4h 42m |
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 | — | -13° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| 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 | — | -9° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| 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 55% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 34 | 39 | 37 | 53 | 61 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 57 | 50 | 38 | 34 |
| Low °F | -38 | -33 | -40 | -19 | 5 | 19 | 31 | 22 | 5 | -11 | -33 | -34 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Mather, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Mather?
What time is golden hour at Mount Mather?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Mather?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Mather?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Mather?
How far is Mount Mather 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.