Located in Chugach Census Area, Alaska, Mount Steller is a mountain peak at about 3,025 m (9,925 ft) above sea level.
Mount Steller is a peak at the far eastern end of the Chugach Mountains of Alaska, United States. It is notable for its isolated location among extensive icefields, and for its large rise above local terrain. For example, it rises 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above the Bering Glacier to the south in about 4 horizontal miles (6.4 km). Mount Steller is the high point of Waxell Ridge, an east–west trending ridge on the south side of the Bagley Icefield, one of the largest icefields in North America. The large Bering Glacier flows past the east and south slopes of the ridge, while the Steller Glacier flows from its west side. The mountain was named for the naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller. Due to its isolated location, poor weather, and comparatively low absolute elevation by Alaskan standards, Mount Steller was not climbed until recently. The first ascent was in 1992.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Steller (Chugach Mountains)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Steller the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 34° (NNE) 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) | 7:34 AM | 89° E | 7:47 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:03 AM | 34° NNE | 11:07 PM | 327° NNW | 53° | 19h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:18 AM | 88° E | 7:34 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:40 AM | 142° SE | 3:22 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 | 8:30 AM | 9:25 AM | 11:04 AM | 2:21 PM | 4:00 PM | 4:54 PM | 6h 36m |
| February | 7:28 AM | 8:13 AM | 9:19 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:22 PM | 6:07 PM | 9h 09m |
| March | 7:08 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:46 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:17 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:27 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:39 PM | 14h 38m |
| May | 3:45 AM | 4:51 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:59 PM | 10:08 PM | 11:14 PM | 17h 17m |
| June | 1:59 AM | 4:03 AM | 5:25 AM | 9:42 PM | 11:04 PM | 1:08 AM | 19h 01m |
| July | 3:09 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:47 AM | 9:31 PM | 10:46 PM | 12:09 AM | 18h 14m |
| August | 4:53 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:23 PM | 15h 45m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 7:31 AM | 8:14 AM | 9:14 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:24 PM | 7:07 PM | 10h 10m |
| November | 7:45 AM | 8:35 AM | 9:57 AM | 2:39 PM | 4:01 PM | 4:51 PM | 7h 26m |
| December | 8:36 AM | 9:36 AM | 12:00 PM | 12:57 PM | 3:21 PM | 4:20 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 ≈ 21.95 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 66% 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 | 39 | 37 | 42 | 46 | 46 | 68 | 71 | 67 | 57 | 45 | 40 | 35 |
| Low °F | -19 | -19 | -19 | -9 | 12 | 26 | 31 | 32 | 17 | -4 | -20 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.5 | 12.2 | 9.6 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 7.5 | 12.7 | 18.0 | 16.2 | 15.0 | 16.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Steller?
What time is golden hour at Mount Steller?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Steller?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Steller?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Steller?
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.