Located in Clatsop County, Oregon, Saddle Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,004 m (3,294 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 18.5 km (11.5 mi) ESE of Gearhart.
Saddle Mountain is the tallest mountain in Clatsop County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Coast Range, Saddle Mountain is in Saddle Mountain State Natural Area in the northwest corner of Oregon. The peak is listed on Oregon's Register of Natural Heritage Resources.From the Wikipedia article “Saddle Mountain (Clatsop County, Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Saddle Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 54° NE | 9:10 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 45m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 124° SE | 4:33 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 38m |
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 | 7:20 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 03m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 23m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 57m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 44m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 24m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 10m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:13 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:30 PM | 7:00 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 28m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 8h 40m |
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 Saddle Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:31 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:22 AM – 4:32 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:25 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:51 PM – 2:41 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:31 PM – 1:21 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:11 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.53 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 | 57 | 59 | 66 | 77 | 83 | 80 | 86 | 92 | 87 | 79 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | 19 | 20 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 39 | 31 | 24 | 16 |
| Precip. (in) | 10.3 | 7.2 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 6.1 | 10.5 | 11.4 |
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.
- 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 Saddle Mountain, closest first.
State Park
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State Park
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Saddle Mountain?
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Where does the sun rise and set at Saddle Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Saddle Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Saddle Mountain?
How far is Saddle Mountain from Gearhart?
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.