Located in Siskiyou County, California, Shastina is a mountain peak at about 3,740 m (12,270 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mount Shasta, about 13.2 km (8.2 mi) away (Shastina lies NE of town).
Shastina is a satellite cone of Mount Shasta. It is the second youngest of four overlapping volcanic cones which together form the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Range. At 12,335 feet (3,760 m), Shastina is taller than Mount Adams and would rank as the third highest volcano in the Cascades behind Mount Rainier and Shasta were it not nestled on the western flank of its higher neighbor. Shastina has a topographic prominence of over 450 ft (137 m) above the saddle connecting it with Shasta and easily exceeds the typical mountaineering standard of 300 feet (91 m) for a peak to qualify as an independent summit, yet most lists of Cascade volcanoes omit it nonetheless. The name "Shastina" is a diminutive of Shasta. Shastina was formed during a VEI-4 eruption around 7650 BC that also involved activity at the summit of Mount Shasta and the Red Banks on Shasta's south flank.From the Wikipedia article “Shastina”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Shastina the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 57° ENE | 8:47 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:32 AM | 121° ESE | 4:43 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 11m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 09m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:13 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 12m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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
From Shastina, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:26 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:39 AM – 4:39 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:37 AM – 3:47 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:55 PM – 3:25 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:45 PM – 1:55 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:55 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 61 | 63 | 68 | 75 | 87 | 98 | 105 | 104 | 100 | 90 | 78 | 58 |
| Low °F | -7 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 24 | 29 | 40 | 38 | 30 | 21 | 7 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 6.5 |
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.
- 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 Shastina, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Red Fir Flat Group Campground7.7 km (4.8 mi) · reservable
- Castle Lake Campground23 km (14 mi)
- Fowlers Campground25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Camp 4 Group Campsite And Day Use Area28 km (17 mi)
- Camp 4 Group Campground28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Shastina?
What time is golden hour at Shastina?
Where does the sun rise and set at Shastina?
Can you see the Milky Way from Shastina?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Shastina?
How far is Shastina from Mount Shasta?
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.