Mount Scott — a mountain peak in Clackamas County, Oregon at about 333 m (1,093 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Happy Valley, about 1.8 km (1.1 mi) away (Mount Scott lies WNW of town).
Mount Scott is a volcanic cinder cone with its summit in Clackamas County, Oregon. The summit rises to an elevation of 1,091 feet (333 m). It is part of the Boring Lava Field, a zone of ancient volcanic activity in the area around Portland, and was named for Harvey W. Scott, a 19th and 20th century editor of The Oregonian newspaper. who owned 335 acres (136 ha) on the north and west slopes of the hill. Mt. Scott was home to a "perpetual" cross burning by Oregon's Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. Automotive parades of hooded Klan members were common in Southeast Portland. The mountain is developed, with most of its southern flank within the city of Happy Valley, Oregon. The Willamette National Cemetery is located on the northeastern slope of the mountain, which is partially in Multnomah County.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Scott (Clackamas County, Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Scott the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) 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) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 55° NE | 9:03 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 124° ESE | 4:30 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 | 7:14 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 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 Mount Scott, 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:38 PM – 2:38 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:21 PM – 1:21 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:25 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.43 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Scott, closest first.
Botanical Garden
Covered Bridge
Rock Formation
Volcano
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
State Park
Mountain Peak
BeachFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Scott?
What time is golden hour at Mount Scott?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Scott?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Scott?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Scott?
How far is Mount Scott from Happy Valley?
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.