Mount Westdahl — a mountain peak in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska at about 1,561 m (5,121 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers.
Westdahl Peak, also known as Westdahl Volcano or Mount Westdahl, is a stratovolcano of the Aleutian Range, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The volcano last erupted from November 29, 1991, to January 15, 1992. It is on Unimak Island, near the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula. The volcano has a second summit, called Faris Peak, which is actually the highest point at 5,426 feet (1,654 m). Westdahl Peak currently has a summit elevation of 5,118 feet (1,560 m). Other historical eruptions, all attributed to Westdahl by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, have been reported in 1795–1796, 1827–1829, 1951, 1964 and 1978. A couple eruptions were originally reported to be from nearby Pogromni Volcano, but the peak is old, eroded and most likely hasn't erupted since Pleistocene time.From the Wikipedia article “Westdahl Volcano”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Westdahl the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 45° (NE) at the June solstice and 132° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 315° (NW) in June to 229° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 59° in summer but only 12° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 9:01 AM | 89° E | 9:12 PM | 271° W | 35° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:23 AM | 45° NE | 11:39 PM | 315° NW | 59° | 17h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:45 AM | 89° E | 8:59 PM | 272° W | 36° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:20 AM | 132° SE | 5:35 PM | 229° SW | 12° | 7h 16m |
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 | 9:30 AM | 10:12 AM | 11:17 AM | 5:00 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:47 PM | 7h 53m |
| February | 8:43 AM | 9:20 AM | 10:13 AM | 6:14 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 9h 46m |
| March | 8:38 AM | 9:14 AM | 10:01 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:38 PM | 11h 49m |
| April | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:45 AM | 9:13 PM | 10:02 PM | 10:40 PM | 14h 05m |
| May | 6:07 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:48 AM | 10:04 PM | 10:58 PM | 11:45 PM | 16h 04m |
| June | 5:27 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:23 AM | 10:36 PM | 11:37 PM | 12:33 AM | 17h 14m |
| July | 5:52 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:41 AM | 10:29 PM | 11:27 PM | 12:18 AM | 16h 43m |
| August | 6:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:26 AM | 9:42 PM | 10:32 PM | 11:13 PM | 14h 56m |
| September | 7:56 AM | 8:33 AM | 9:20 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:17 PM | 9:53 PM | 12h 44m |
| October | 8:52 AM | 9:28 AM | 10:18 AM | 7:12 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:38 PM | 10h 34m |
| November | 8:49 AM | 9:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:39 PM | 8h 29m |
| December | 9:31 AM | 10:16 AM | 11:27 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:18 PM | 7h 18m |
Local time (America/Nome), 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
At this latitude the summer nights are too short or too bright for the Milky Way core to stand high in true darkness; aim for star trails or the aurora.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| June | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| 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 4.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 88% average cloud cover) and April as the cloudiest (93%). 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 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 47 | 56 | 59 | 65 | 64 | 62 | 52 | 48 | 45 |
| Low °F | 12 | 13 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 32 | 39 | 43 | 38 | 31 | 24 | 16 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 5.7 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Westdahl, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Westdahl?
What time is golden hour at Mount Westdahl?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Westdahl?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Westdahl?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Westdahl?
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.