Mount Vancouver is a mountain peak in Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska. It is part of Kluane National Park and Reserve.
Mount Vancouver is the 15th highest mountain in North America. Its southern side lies in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve at the top of the Alaska panhandle, while its northern side is in Kluane National Park and Reserve in the southwestern corner of Yukon, Canada. Mount Vancouver has three summits: north, middle, and south, with the middle summit being the lowest. The south summit, Good Neighbor Peak at 4,785 m (15,699 ft), straddles the international border while the north summit is slightly higher at 4,812 m (15,787 ft). The mountain was named by William Healey Dall in 1874 after George Vancouver, who explored the southeast coast of Alaska from 1792 to 1794.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Vancouver”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Vancouver 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) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:33 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:51 AM | 34° NE | 10:51 PM | 326° NW | 53° | 19h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 88° E | 7:21 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:25 AM | 141° SE | 3:10 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 | 8:16 AM | 9:09 AM | 10:47 AM | 2:11 PM | 3:48 PM | 4:42 PM | 6h 39m |
| February | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 9:04 AM | 4:04 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 10m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:32 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:21 PM | 8:03 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:14 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 36m |
| May | 3:34 AM | 4:39 AM | 5:47 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:53 PM | 10:58 PM | 17h 14m |
| June | 1:58 AM | 3:52 AM | 5:13 AM | 9:27 PM | 10:48 PM | 12:43 AM | 18h 56m |
| July | 2:59 AM | 4:20 AM | 5:35 AM | 9:16 PM | 10:30 PM | 11:52 PM | 18h 10m |
| August | 4:41 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:16 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 43m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 5:11 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 11m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:20 AM | 9:41 AM | 2:27 PM | 3:49 PM | 4:38 PM | 7h 29m |
| December | 8:22 AM | 9:20 AM | 11:35 AM | 12:55 PM | 3:10 PM | 4:08 PM | 5h 49m |
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 60% average cloud cover) and August as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 31 | 24 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 51 | 46 | 47 | 42 | 39 | 30 | 24 |
| Low °F | -42 | -39 | -39 | -20 | -7 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 1 | -14 | -28 | -37 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.8 | 5.9 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 7.5 | 7.8 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Vancouver, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Vancouver?
What time is golden hour at Mount Vancouver?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Vancouver?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Vancouver?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Vancouver?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.