Located in Multnomah County, Oregon, Larch Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,203 m (3,947 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Sandy, about 20 km (13 mi) away (Larch Mountain lies NE of town).
Larch Mountain is an extinct volcano near Portland, Oregon. The name is misleading, as no western larch (a large coniferous tree) can be found there. It received that name when early lumbermen sold the noble fir wood as larch. The peak can be reached between May and November on paved Larch Mountain Road, 16 mi (26 km) east of Corbett, Oregon, although the road is closed during the winter and spring months. The road leading to Larch Mountain from the Historic Columbia River Highway is 14 miles long, which closed at milepost 10 from Nov. through late May or early June due to snow.From the Wikipedia article “Larch Mountain (Multnomah County, Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Larch Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 55° NE | 9:02 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:46 AM | 124° SE | 4:28 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 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 | 7:12 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:33 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:04 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:38 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Larch Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:13 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:13 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:13 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:36 PM – 2:36 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:19 PM – 1:19 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:14 PM – 11:24 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:23 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 20.82 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August 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 | 62 | 66 | 74 | 84 | 93 | 100 | 105 | 104 | 101 | 87 | 67 | 61 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 45 | 44 | 36 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Larch Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
State Park
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Eagle Creek Overlook Grp Site17.3 km (10.7 mi) · reservable
- Eagle Creek Campground17.6 km (10.9 mi) · reservable
- Wildwood Recreation Site21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Lost Lake Resort And Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Wahtum Lake Campground24 km (15 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Larch Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Larch Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Larch Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Larch Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Larch Mountain?
How far is Larch Mountain from Sandy?
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.