Located in Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska, Mount Saint Elias is a mountain peak at about 5,489 m (18,009 ft) above sea level. It is part of Kluane National Park and Reserve.
Mount Saint Elias (Was'eitushaa, also designated Boundary Peak 186) is an 18,008 foot (5,489 m) mountain located approximately 11 miles (18 km) northeast of the Pacific Ocean on the Yukon-Alaska border. It is the second-highest mountain in both Canada and the United States, as well as in the Yukon and Alaska. The Canadian side of Mount Saint Elias forms part of Kluane National Park and Reserve, while the U.S. side of the mountain is located within Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Although it is only 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada, it nonetheless retains a high prominence due to the low Columbus-Seward Glacier separating them. Due to notoriously bad weather and difficult climbing routes, Mount Saint Elias is infrequently climbed.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Saint Elias”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Saint Elias the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 34° (NE) at the June solstice and 141° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 326° (NW) 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) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:57 AM | 34° NE | 10:56 PM | 326° NW | 53° | 18h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:09 AM | 88° E | 7:26 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:29 AM | 141° SE | 3:16 PM | 219° SW | 6° | 5h 46m |
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 | 8:21 AM | 9:14 AM | 10:51 AM | 2:16 PM | 3:53 PM | 4:47 PM | 6h 39m |
| February | 7:19 AM | 8:04 AM | 9:08 AM | 4:09 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 10m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:37 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:26 PM | 8:08 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:19 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:29 PM | 14h 36m |
| May | 3:39 AM | 4:44 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:50 PM | 9:58 PM | 11:03 PM | 17h 13m |
| June | 2:05 AM | 3:57 AM | 5:18 AM | 9:32 PM | 10:53 PM | 12:45 AM | 18h 56m |
| July | 3:05 AM | 4:26 AM | 5:40 AM | 9:21 PM | 10:35 PM | 11:56 PM | 18h 09m |
| August | 4:46 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:20 PM | 10:12 PM | 15h 42m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:30 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 9:04 AM | 5:16 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:58 PM | 10h 11m |
| November | 7:35 AM | 8:25 AM | 9:46 AM | 2:33 PM | 3:54 PM | 4:44 PM | 7h 29m |
| December | 8:26 AM | 9:25 AM | 11:38 AM | 1:01 PM | 3:15 PM | 4:13 PM | 5h 50m |
Local time (America/Yakutat), 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 | — | -2° | — |
| 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 64% average cloud cover) and August as the cloudiest (87%). July is the warmest month and March 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 | 29 | 24 | 37 | 40 | 41 | 48 | 45 | 47 | 42 | 39 | 31 | 24 |
| Low °F | -34 | -29 | -37 | -21 | -5 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 3 | -15 | -24 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 11.6 | 10.2 | 8.0 | 6.3 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 9.9 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 12.9 | 13.4 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Saint Elias, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Saint Elias?
What time is golden hour at Mount Saint Elias?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Saint Elias?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Saint Elias?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Saint Elias?
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.