Mount Veniaminof — a mountain peak in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska at about 2,118 m (6,949 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge.
Mount Veniaminof (Russian: Вулкан Вениаминова) is an active stratovolcano on the Alaska Peninsula. The mountain was named after Ioann (Ivan Popov) Veniaminov. The volcano was the site of a colossal (VEI 6) eruption around 1750 BCE. This eruption left a large caldera. In modern times the volcano has had numerous small eruptions (over ten of them since 1930), all at a cinder cone in the middle of the caldera. Veniaminof is one of the highest of Alaskan volcanoes. Partly for this reason, it is covered by a glacier that fills most of the caldera. Because of the glacier and the caldera walls, there is the possibility of a major flood from a future glacier run. The volcano recently began erupting on September 3, 2018, as magma broke through the summit and flowed down its slopes as a lava flow. Despite starting off as an effusive eruption, by November 20, the eruption became more intense...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Veniaminof”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Veniaminof the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 43° (NE) at the June solstice and 134° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 318° (NW) in June to 226° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 57° in summer but only 10° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:40 AM | 89° E | 8:51 PM | 271° W | 34° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 43° NE | 11:30 PM | 318° NW | 57° | 17h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:24 AM | 89° E | 8:38 PM | 272° W | 34° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:10 AM | 134° SE | 5:04 PM | 226° SW | 10° | 6h 54m |
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 | 10:00 AM | 11:12 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:20 PM | 7h 34m |
| February | 8:25 AM | 9:04 AM | 9:59 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 9h 37m |
| March | 8:16 AM | 8:53 AM | 9:43 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:18 PM | 11h 48m |
| April | 6:51 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:22 AM | 8:54 PM | 9:45 PM | 10:25 PM | 14h 13m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:22 AM | 9:48 PM | 10:46 PM | 11:36 PM | 16h 22m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:55 AM | 10:23 PM | 11:28 PM | 12:31 AM | 17h 38m |
| July | 5:15 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:13 AM | 10:15 PM | 11:16 PM | 12:13 AM | 17h 04m |
| August | 6:25 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:02 AM | 9:24 PM | 10:17 PM | 11:01 PM | 15h 08m |
| September | 7:32 AM | 8:10 AM | 8:59 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:35 PM | 12h 47m |
| October | 8:32 AM | 9:10 AM | 10:02 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:16 PM | 10h 28m |
| November | 8:34 AM | 9:16 AM | 10:21 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:13 PM | 8h 14m |
| December | 9:18 AM | 10:05 AM | 11:25 AM | 3:42 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:50 PM | 6h 57m |
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 | — | -9° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| 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 3.5+ 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 76% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (85%). August 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 | 40 | 40 | 41 | 50 | 59 | 68 | 73 | 74 | 67 | 56 | 51 | 46 |
| Low °F | -12 | -12 | -5 | 2 | 18 | 28 | 37 | 39 | 31 | 19 | 9 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Veniaminof?
What time is golden hour at Mount Veniaminof?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Veniaminof?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Veniaminof?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Veniaminof?
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.