Mount Redoubt is a mountain peak in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. It is part of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. It sits roughly 80 km (50 mi) W of Kalifornsky.
Redoubt Volcano, or Mount Redoubt (Dena'ina: Bentuggezh K’enulgheli), is an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at the head of the Chigmit Mountains subrange in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, the mountain is just west of Cook Inlet, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough about 110 miles (180 km) southwest of Anchorage. At 10,197 feet (3,108 m), in just over 5 miles (8.0 km) Mount Redoubt attains 9,150 feet (2,790 m) of prominence over its surrounding terrain. It is the highest summit in the Aleutian Range. In 1976, Redoubt Volcano was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Redoubt”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Redoubt 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) | 8:13 AM | 89° E | 8:26 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:42 AM | 34° NE | 11:45 PM | 327° NNW | 53° | 19h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:56 AM | 88° E | 8:13 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:19 AM | 142° SE | 4:01 PM | 219° SW | 6° | 5h 42m |
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 | 9:09 AM | 10:03 AM | 11:42 AM | 3:00 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:33 PM | 6h 36m |
| February | 8:07 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:57 AM | 4:55 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:45 PM | 9h 09m |
| March | 7:46 AM | 8:28 AM | 9:25 AM | 7:17 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:55 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:18 PM | 14h 38m |
| May | 4:24 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:38 AM | 9:38 PM | 10:47 PM | 11:53 PM | 17h 17m |
| June | 2:40 AM | 4:42 AM | 6:04 AM | 10:20 PM | 11:42 PM | 1:45 AM | 19h 00m |
| July | 3:48 AM | 5:11 AM | 6:26 AM | 10:09 PM | 11:24 PM | 12:47 AM | 18h 13m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:25 AM | 9:07 PM | 10:08 PM | 11:01 PM | 15h 44m |
| September | 6:57 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:35 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:18 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 8:09 AM | 8:52 AM | 9:53 AM | 6:02 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:45 PM | 10h 10m |
| November | 8:23 AM | 9:13 AM | 10:36 AM | 3:18 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:30 PM | 7h 27m |
| December | 9:15 AM | 10:14 AM | 12:37 PM | 1:38 PM | 4:00 PM | 4:59 PM | 5h 46m |
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 ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 1.0+ 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 60% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 37 | 36 | 40 | 48 | 55 | 72 | 75 | 70 | 63 | 49 | 42 | 37 |
| Low °F | -17 | -14 | -16 | -6 | 6 | 32 | 39 | 35 | 22 | 2 | -16 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.3 | 6.8 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 9.6 | 9.3 | 7.4 | 8.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Redoubt?
What time is golden hour at Mount Redoubt?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Redoubt?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Redoubt?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Redoubt?
How far is Mount Redoubt from Kalifornsky?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.