Located in Sitka City and Borough, Alaska, Mount Verstovia is a mountain peak at about 1,022 m (3,353 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Sitka, about 4.0 km (2.5 mi) away (Mount Verstovia lies E of town).
Mount Verstovia is a prominent peak located just 2.6 miles east of the center of Sitka, Alaska, on Baranof Island, Alexander Archipelago. The 3,313-foot (1,010 m) summit rises steeply from the nearby Pacific Ocean, with its lower flanks cloaked in temperate old growth rain forests and its upper regions, above 2,400 feet, being above treeline and providing excellent vistas of Sitka and the surrounding mountain and ocean environments. This peak was first named "Gora Verstovaya" in 1809 by the navigator Ivan Vasiliev. Gora translates to "mount" in Russian and verst refers to a unit of measurement equaling 0.6629 miles (or 3,500 feet), which closely resembles the actual height of Mt. Verstovia. The main summit of Mount Verstovia is called Arrow Head by the people of Sitka, Alaska, because of its resemblance of an arrow head pointed up behind the sub peak.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Verstovia”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Verstovia the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 41° (NE) at the June solstice and 135° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 319° (NW) in June to 225° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 56° in summer but only 10° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 33° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:06 AM | 41° NE | 10:01 PM | 319° NW | 56° | 17h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 88° E | 7:02 PM | 272° W | 33° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:39 AM | 135° SE | 3:21 PM | 225° SW | 10° | 6h 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 | 7:43 AM | 8:29 AM | 9:44 AM | 2:38 PM | 3:53 PM | 4:40 PM | 7h 24m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:27 AM | 4:05 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 32m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:13 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 47m |
| April | 5:11 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 17m |
| May | 3:50 AM | 4:43 AM | 5:42 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:14 PM | 10:07 PM | 16h 31m |
| June | 2:58 AM | 4:06 AM | 5:14 AM | 8:51 PM | 9:58 PM | 11:06 PM | 17h 52m |
| July | 3:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 5:33 AM | 8:42 PM | 9:46 PM | 10:46 PM | 17h 16m |
| August | 4:44 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 15m |
| September | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 49m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:29 AM | 5:06 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 25m |
| November | 7:00 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:51 AM | 2:42 PM | 3:49 PM | 4:33 PM | 8h 06m |
| December | 7:45 AM | 8:35 AM | 10:00 AM | 1:54 PM | 3:19 PM | 4:09 PM | 6h 45m |
Local time (America/Sitka), 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 | — | -10° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.58 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 1.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show February as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (84%). August 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 | 50 | 46 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 83 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 51 | 48 |
| Low °F | -5 | -1 | -3 | 16 | 27 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 34 | 20 | -1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.3 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 7.5 | 10.4 | 10.8 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
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
- 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 Verstovia, closest first.
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
State Park
LakeWaterfall
LighthouseLighthouse
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Starrigavan Creek Cabin9.8 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
- Samsing Cove Cabin10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Starrigavan Campground And Day Use10.2 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Salmon Lake Cabin Sitka13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Brents Beach Cabin20 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Verstovia?
What time is golden hour at Mount Verstovia?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Verstovia?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Verstovia?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Verstovia?
How far is Mount Verstovia from Sitka?
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.