Bandera Mountain — a mountain peak in King County, Washington at about 1,581 m (5,187 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It sits roughly 17.0 km (10.6 mi) ESE of Riverbend.
Bandera Mountain is a mountain located near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The mountain is accessible by the Mason Lake Trail (Ira Spring Memorial Trail), which is located off I-90 at Exit 45 on Forest Road 9031.From the Wikipedia article “Bandera Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bandera Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 53° NE | 9:07 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 125° SE | 4:19 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 29m |
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 Bandera Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:40 AM – 4:20 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:39 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:10 AM – 2:00 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:41 PM – 1:01 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 10:53 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.96 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 53 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 78 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Low °F | -16 | -11 | -4 | 6 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 35 | 27 | 5 | -10 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 9.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Bandera Mountain, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Lake
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Tinkham Campground2.6 km (1.6 mi) · reservable
- Denny Creek Campground7.2 km (4.5 mi) · reservable
- Middle Fork Campground14.8 km (9.2 mi) · reservable
- Kachess23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- East Kachess Group Site25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bandera Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Bandera Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bandera Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bandera Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bandera Mountain?
How far is Bandera Mountain from Riverbend?
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.