Mount Ripinski is a mountain peak in Haines Borough, Alaska at about 1,050 m (3,445 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 5.3 km (3.3 mi) NW of Haines.
Mount Ripinski (sometimes Mount Ripinsky) is a mountain located immediately to the north of Haines, Alaska at the southern terminus in the Takshanuk Mountains. Mount Ripinski is a popular day hike for local residents of Haines and features two distinct trails that converge on the south side of the summit. They are known as the Young Road Trail and the Piedad Cut-Off, and vary dramatically in difficulty and rate of altitude gain. The mountain was named after "Sol Ripinsky" (possible latter Ripinski in 1911 when he became a US citizen) of the Haines Mission established by Sheldon Jackson.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Ripinski”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Ripinski the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 37° (NE) at the June solstice and 139° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 324° (NW) in June to 221° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 54° in summer but only 7° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:47 AM | 37° NE | 10:23 PM | 324° NW | 54° | 18h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 88° E | 7:04 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:58 AM | 139° SE | 3:04 PM | 221° SW | 7° | 6h 06m |
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 | 7:54 AM | 8:45 AM | 10:13 AM | 2:11 PM | 3:39 PM | 4:30 PM | 6h 55m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 18m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:13 AM | 6:10 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:03 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:18 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 30m |
| May | 3:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 5:35 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:29 PM | 10:29 PM | 16h 59m |
| June | 2:18 AM | 3:47 AM | 5:03 AM | 9:04 PM | 10:20 PM | 11:49 PM | 18h 33m |
| July | 3:01 AM | 4:13 AM | 5:24 AM | 8:54 PM | 10:04 PM | 11:16 PM | 17h 51m |
| August | 4:31 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 33m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:25 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 53m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:38 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 16m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:57 AM | 9:13 AM | 2:23 PM | 3:39 PM | 4:26 PM | 7h 42m |
| December | 7:58 AM | 8:54 AM | 10:43 AM | 1:14 PM | 3:03 PM | 3:58 PM | 6h 09m |
Local time (America/Juneau), 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 | — | -5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| 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 February as the clearest month (about 68% average cloud cover) and September as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 32 | 39 | 42 | 56 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 59 | 47 | 36 | 34 |
| Low °F | -42 | -40 | -32 | -15 | 5 | 23 | 31 | 29 | 16 | -11 | -35 | -40 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 6.6 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Ripinski, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lighthouse
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Glacier
State ParkScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Ripinski?
What time is golden hour at Mount Ripinski?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Ripinski?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Ripinski?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Ripinski?
How far is Mount Ripinski from Haines?
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.