Located in Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska, Mount Miller is a mountain peak at about 2,650 m (8,694 ft) above sea level.
Mount Miller is an isolated peak of the Saint Elias Mountains in Alaska, United States. It is notable for its position among spectacular icefields, its distance from any inhabited place, and its large rise above local terrain. It is over 65 miles (105 km) from McCarthy, the nearest habitation, and over 105 miles (169 km) away from Yakutat, the nearest significant town. Exemplifying the size of the mountain, the south flank rises 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above the Duktoth River valley to the south in approximately 9 horizontal miles (14 km). Mount Miller is the high point of the east–west trending Barkley Ridge, located on the south side of the Bagley Icefield, one of the largest icefields in North America. The Bering Glacier flows from the Bagley Icefield at the western end of the ridge, while the southeast slopes of the ridge head the Yahtse Glacier. The only side of the ridge that is...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Miller”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Miller the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 34° (NE) at the June solstice and 142° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 327° (NNW) in June to 219° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 53° in summer but only 6° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:31 AM | 89° E | 7:44 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:00 AM | 34° NE | 11:03 PM | 327° NNW | 53° | 19h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:14 AM | 88° E | 7:31 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:37 AM | 142° SE | 3:20 PM | 219° SW | 6° | 5h 43m |
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 | 8:27 AM | 9:21 AM | 11:00 AM | 2:19 PM | 3:58 PM | 4:52 PM | 6h 37m |
| February | 7:25 AM | 8:10 AM | 9:15 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:19 PM | 6:04 PM | 9h 09m |
| March | 7:05 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:43 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:24 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:36 PM | 14h 37m |
| May | 3:42 AM | 4:48 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:56 PM | 10:04 PM | 11:10 PM | 17h 16m |
| June | 2:00 AM | 4:01 AM | 5:23 AM | 9:39 PM | 11:00 PM | 1:01 AM | 19h 00m |
| July | 3:07 AM | 4:29 AM | 5:44 AM | 9:27 PM | 10:42 PM | 12:05 AM | 18h 13m |
| August | 4:50 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:19 PM | 15h 44m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:36 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 9:11 AM | 5:20 PM | 6:21 PM | 7:04 PM | 10h 10m |
| November | 7:41 AM | 8:31 AM | 9:53 AM | 2:36 PM | 3:58 PM | 4:48 PM | 7h 27m |
| December | 8:33 AM | 9:32 AM | 11:53 AM | 12:58 PM | 3:19 PM | 4:18 PM | 5h 47m |
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 | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.95 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 66% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (84%). July is the warmest month and February 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 | 35 | 44 | 47 | 48 | 58 | 58 | 59 | 51 | 42 | 36 | 34 |
| Low °F | -22 | -21 | -25 | -6 | 9 | 23 | 29 | 27 | 15 | -10 | -13 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 11.5 | 10.1 | 8.0 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 6.7 | 11.0 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 13.0 | 13.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Miller, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Miller?
What time is golden hour at Mount Miller?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Miller?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Miller?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Miller?
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.