Located in Chugach Census Area, Alaska, Mount Tom White is a mountain peak at about 3,379 m (11,086 ft) above sea level.
Mount Tom White is a prominent 11,191-foot (3,411 meter) glaciated mountain summit located in the Chugach Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The remote peak is situated on land managed by Chugach National Forest, 72 mi (116 km) northeast of Cordova, and 20 mi (32 km) north of the Bering Glacier, North America's largest glacier. The mountain lies within the Copper River drainage basin, and is the eighth-highest major peak in the Chugach Mountains. Topographic relief is significant as it ranks 17th in prominence for all peaks in Alaska, and 52nd for all North America peaks. The first ascent of the mountain was made in 1973 by Story Clark, Chris Hall, Tom Kizzia, William Resor, Sarah Robey, and Don White.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Tom White”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Tom White the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 33° (NNE) at the June solstice and 142° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 327° (NNW) in June to 218° (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) | 7:37 AM | 89° E | 7:49 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:04 AM | 33° NNE | 11:11 PM | 327° NNW | 53° | 19h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 88° E | 7:37 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:44 AM | 142° SE | 3:23 PM | 218° SW | 6° | 5h 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 | 8:34 AM | 9:28 AM | 11:09 AM | 2:21 PM | 4:02 PM | 4:56 PM | 6h 34m |
| February | 7:31 AM | 8:16 AM | 9:22 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:24 PM | 6:09 PM | 9h 08m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:49 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:29 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:42 PM | 14h 39m |
| May | 3:46 AM | 4:53 AM | 6:02 AM | 9:02 PM | 10:12 PM | 11:19 PM | 17h 19m |
| June | 1:47 AM | 4:04 AM | 5:27 AM | 9:45 PM | 11:08 PM | 1:25 AM | 19h 04m |
| July | 3:08 AM | 4:33 AM | 5:49 AM | 9:34 PM | 10:50 PM | 12:15 AM | 18h 16m |
| August | 4:54 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:49 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:26 PM | 15h 46m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:59 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:42 PM | 12h 56m |
| October | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 9:17 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:26 PM | 7:09 PM | 10h 09m |
| November | 7:48 AM | 8:38 AM | 10:01 AM | 2:39 PM | 4:03 PM | 4:53 PM | 7h 25m |
| December | 8:40 AM | 9:39 AM | 12:14 PM | 12:48 PM | 3:22 PM | 4:22 PM | 5h 43m |
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 | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| 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
- 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.
- 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 Tom White, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Tom White?
What time is golden hour at Mount Tom White?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Tom White?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Tom White?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Tom White?
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.