Located in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Mount Steller is a mountain peak at about 2,233 m (7,326 ft) above sea level. It is part of Katmai National Park and Preserve. The nearest town is Kodiak, about 137 km (85 mi) away (Mount Steller lies WNW of town).
Mount Steller is a stratovolcano in Katmai National Park in Alaska, United States. It is part of the Aleutian Range and is located on the Alaska Peninsula. The mountain was presumably named for the naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller. While evidence is uncertain, the volcano is believed to have erupted during the Holocene epoch. On September 14, 2005, Mt. Steller experienced a large rock-ice avalanche. The estimated volume was between 40 to 60 million m3. The avalanche took place on the south face of the mountain at an altitude of ~3,100 meters. The avalanche traveled for almost 10 km.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Steller (Aleutian Range)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Steller the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 322° (NW) in June to 223° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:20 AM | 89° E | 8:32 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 39° NE | 11:30 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:03 AM | 88° E | 8:19 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:06 AM | 138° SE | 4:27 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 20m |
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 | 9:05 AM | 9:54 AM | 11:17 AM | 3:39 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:50 PM | 7h 07m |
| February | 8:09 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:51 AM | 5:14 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:56 PM | 9h 24m |
| March | 7:55 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:27 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:20 PM | 9:00 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:31 PM | 10:14 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:54 AM | 9:36 PM | 10:39 PM | 11:36 PM | 16h 48m |
| June | 3:52 AM | 5:11 AM | 6:23 AM | 10:15 PM | 11:27 PM | 12:46 AM | 18h 16m |
| July | 4:29 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:43 AM | 10:05 PM | 11:12 PM | 12:19 AM | 17h 37m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:37 AM | 9:09 PM | 10:06 PM | 10:53 PM | 15h 25m |
| September | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:40 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:19 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 8:14 AM | 8:54 AM | 9:51 AM | 6:17 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:54 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 8:22 AM | 9:08 AM | 10:20 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:45 PM | 7h 51m |
| December | 9:09 AM | 10:02 AM | 11:40 AM | 2:47 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:18 PM | 6h 23m |
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 | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| 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 2.0+ 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 65% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 38 | 40 | 57 | 69 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 66 | 52 | 46 | 41 |
| Low °F | -23 | -18 | -16 | -2 | 13 | 36 | 40 | 37 | 27 | 2 | -18 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 6.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Steller, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
WaterfallFAQ
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?
How far is Mount Steller from Kodiak?
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.