Located in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Mount Prindle is a mountain peak at about 1,490 m (4,888 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Badger, about 89 km (55 mi) away (Mount Prindle lies NNE of town).
Mount Prindle is a granitic mountain in the Yukon–Tanana uplands, and is located approximately 45 miles (72 km) north-northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The plutons that form the core of the Mount Prindle massif are Late Cretaceous or early Tertiary age. These plutons intruded older (Precambrian to Paleozoic) metamorphic rocks. Mount Prindle exhibits classic glacial landforms, unlike most of the surrounding Yukon–Tanana uplands. It is in the Circle Mining District and many of the surrounding creeks have been or are being mined for placer gold. The area has also been prospected for tin and rare earth minerals. Mine roads and hiking trails provide access to the mountain. A 900 feet (270 m) granite wall on an eastern spur of the massif is an attraction for rock climbers. The mountain is named for Louis Marcus Prindle (1865–1956), a U.S. Geological Survey geologist, who worked in the...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Prindle”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Prindle the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 8° (N) at the June solstice and 158° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 352° (N) in June to 202° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 48° in summer but only 1° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:47 AM | 89° E | 8:02 PM | 272° W | 24° | 12h 15m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 2:24 AM | 8° N | 1:13 AM | 352° N | 48° | 22h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:29 AM | 88° E | 7:49 PM | 273° W | 25° | 12h 20m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 11:08 AM | 158° SSE | 2:22 PM | 202° SSW | 1° | 3h 14m |
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 | 10:31 AM | — | — | 3:21 PM | 4:36 PM | 4h 50m |
| February | 7:54 AM | 8:49 AM | 10:14 AM | 3:48 PM | 5:13 PM | 6:08 PM | 8h 24m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 8:05 AM | 9:13 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:36 PM | 11h 40m |
| April | 5:09 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:24 PM | 15h 17m |
| May | — | 4:15 AM | 5:47 AM | 9:39 PM | 11:11 PM | — | 18h 56m |
| June | — | 2:31 AM | 4:59 AM | 10:36 PM | 1:04 AM | — | 22h 34m |
| July | — | 3:36 AM | 5:27 AM | 10:18 PM | 12:09 AM | — | 20h 33m |
| August | 4:17 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:58 PM | 10:13 PM | 11:25 PM | 16h 44m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 7:08 AM | 8:14 AM | 7:10 PM | 8:16 PM | 9:07 PM | 13h 08m |
| October | 7:50 AM | 8:41 AM | 9:56 AM | 5:09 PM | 6:23 PM | 7:15 PM | 9h 42m |
| November | 8:23 AM | 9:28 AM | — | — | 3:34 PM | 4:40 PM | 6h 06m |
| December | 9:30 AM | 11:01 AM | — | — | 2:23 PM | 3:54 PM | 3h 22m |
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 | — | -14° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | No darkness | — | — | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -14° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -14° | — |
| 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 46% average cloud cover) and October as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 35 | 35 | 37 | 55 | 74 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 61 | 55 | 34 | 35 |
| Low °F | -50 | -44 | -44 | -21 | 4 | 23 | 34 | 25 | 8 | -16 | -33 | -42 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
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.
- 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 Prindle, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mount Prindle Campground11.8 km (7.3 mi) · reservable
- Cripple Creek Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Cripple Creek Campground22 km (14 mi)
- Ophir Creek Campground30 km (19 mi) · reservable
- Ophir Creek Campground30 km (19 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Prindle?
What time is golden hour at Mount Prindle?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Prindle?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Prindle?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Prindle?
How far is Mount Prindle from Badger?
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.