Mount Silverthrone — a mountain peak in Denali Borough, Alaska at about 3,895 m (12,779 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Denali National Park and Preserve. It sits roughly 175 km (109 mi) NNW of Meadow Lakes.
Mount Silverthrone is a 13,220 ft (4,030 m) glaciated mountain summit located in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the Alaska Range, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated 10.8 mi (17 km) east of Denali. The first ascent of this peak was made April 12, 1945, by Norman Bright and Frank P. Foster. It was so named by the U.S. Army Forces Cold Weather test party because of its stately appearance at the head of Brooks Glacier.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Silverthrone”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Silverthrone the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 25° (NNE) at the June solstice and 149° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 336° (NNW) in June to 212° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 50° in summer but only 3° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:04 AM | 89° E | 8:18 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:54 AM | 25° NNE | 12:17 AM | 336° NNW | 50° | 20h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:47 AM | 88° E | 8:05 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 18m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:42 AM | 149° SSE | 3:21 PM | 212° SSW | 3° | 4h 39m |
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 | 10:19 AM | — | — | 4:07 PM | 5:09 PM | 5h 48m |
| February | 8:05 AM | 8:54 AM | 10:08 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:31 PM | 8h 48m |
| March | 7:35 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:23 AM | 7:02 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:50 PM | 11h 43m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:32 PM | 10:24 PM | 14h 56m |
| May | 3:32 AM | 4:59 AM | 6:18 AM | 9:42 PM | 11:01 PM | 12:28 AM | 18h 02m |
| June | — | 3:55 AM | 5:37 AM | 10:31 PM | 12:13 AM | — | 20h 18m |
| July | — | 4:33 AM | 6:02 AM | 10:17 PM | 11:46 PM | — | 19h 14m |
| August | 5:01 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:10 AM | 9:07 PM | 10:14 PM | 11:15 PM | 16h 13m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:29 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:16 PM | 13h 01m |
| October | 8:04 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:58 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:34 PM | 9h 57m |
| November | 8:27 AM | 9:24 AM | 11:08 AM | 2:29 PM | 4:13 PM | 5:09 PM | 6h 49m |
| December | 9:25 AM | 10:37 AM | — | — | 3:21 PM | 4:32 PM | 4h 44m |
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 | — | -12° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| 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 55% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 34 | 39 | 37 | 53 | 61 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 57 | 50 | 38 | 34 |
| Low °F | -38 | -33 | -40 | -19 | 5 | 19 | 31 | 22 | 5 | -11 | -33 | -34 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Silverthrone, closest first.
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Silverthrone?
What time is golden hour at Mount Silverthrone?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Silverthrone?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Silverthrone?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Silverthrone?
How far is Mount Silverthrone from Meadow Lakes?
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.