Located in Anchorage Municipality, Alaska, Polar Bear Peak is a mountain peak at about 1,655 m (5,430 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 23 km (15 mi) N of Girdwood.
Polar Bear Peak is a 6,614-foot (2,016 m) mountain in the U.S. state of Alaska, located in Chugach State Park. Situated in the Chugach Mountains, it lies at the head of South Fork Eagle River, 5 mi (8.0 km) ESE of Eagle Lake, and 22 miles (35 km) ESE of downtown Anchorage. The peak was named in 1963 by members of the Mountaineering Club of Alaska because a snow patch on its north face resembles a Polar bear skin.From the Wikipedia article “Polar Bear Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Polar Bear Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 32° (NNE) at the June solstice and 143° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 329° (NNW) in June to 217° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 52° in summer but only 5° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:59 AM | 89° E | 8:12 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:19 AM | 32° NNE | 11:40 PM | 329° NNW | 52° | 19h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:42 AM | 88° E | 7:59 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:12 AM | 143° SE | 3:40 PM | 217° SW | 5° | 5h 28m |
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 | 8:58 AM | 9:54 AM | 11:42 AM | 2:32 PM | 4:19 PM | 5:15 PM | 6h 25m |
| February | 7:54 AM | 8:40 AM | 9:47 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:30 PM | 9h 04m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 8:14 AM | 9:12 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:42 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:18 PM | 10:07 PM | 14h 42m |
| May | 4:01 AM | 5:11 AM | 6:21 AM | 9:27 PM | 10:38 PM | 11:48 PM | 17h 27m |
| June | — | 4:20 AM | 5:46 AM | 10:11 PM | 11:37 PM | — | 19h 17m |
| July | 3:18 AM | 4:50 AM | 6:08 AM | 9:59 PM | 11:17 PM | 12:49 AM | 18h 27m |
| August | 5:12 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:55 PM | 9:58 PM | 10:52 PM | 15h 51m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:21 PM | 9:05 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 7:56 AM | 8:40 AM | 9:42 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:30 PM | 10h 07m |
| November | 8:12 AM | 9:03 AM | 10:30 AM | 2:55 PM | 4:21 PM | 5:13 PM | 7h 18m |
| December | 9:05 AM | 10:07 AM | — | — | 3:39 PM | 4:41 PM | 5h 33m |
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 | — | -9° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.56 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ 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 63% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 40 | 40 | 52 | 62 | 70 | 81 | 83 | 80 | 67 | 56 | 43 | 39 |
| Low °F | -25 | -20 | -21 | -1 | 15 | 33 | 39 | 35 | 19 | -1 | -18 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Polar Bear Peak, closest first.
Waterfall
Scenic ViewpointWaterfallScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfallScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Polar Bear Peak?
What time is golden hour at Polar Bear Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Polar Bear Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Polar Bear Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Polar Bear Peak?
How far is Polar Bear Peak from Girdwood?
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.