Big Four Mountain is a mountain peak in Snohomish County, Washington at about 1,880 m (6,168 ft) above sea level. It is part of Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. The nearest town is Darrington, about 24 km (15 mi) away (Big Four Mountain lies SSE of town).
Big Four is a 6,160+ feet (1,880+ m) mountain summit in the Cascade Range, located about 20 miles (32 km) east of Granite Falls, Washington. It is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Barlow Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway, near the Monte Cristo area, on land administered by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Debris piles on the mountain's northern flank form as a result of avalanche activity. These fields of disturbed snow are able to remain year round in the shadow of the mountain. During the summer months snow-melt streams flow beneath the debris piles and cause caves to form in the ice. The Big Four Ice Caves vary in size from season to season and are unpredictably dangerous. The mountain is open to the public and a large snowfield can be reached by a short trail, but the snowfield itself is off-limits due to cave-ins and slides which have killed hikers in incidents in...From the Wikipedia article “Big Four Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Four Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° 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) | 5:07 AM | 53° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:16 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 22m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:16 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:55 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:49 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:27 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:50 PM | 8h 24m |
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 Big Four Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:42 AM – 4:12 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:44 AM – 2:54 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:23 AM – 1:43 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:49 PM – 12:49 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 10:47 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.23 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and November 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 | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Big Four Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Scenic Viewpoint
Lake
Ghost Town
WaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Coal Creek Group Camp5.1 km (3.2 mi) · reservable
- Red Bridge Campground 9.9 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
- Boardman Group Camp11.7 km (7.3 mi) · reservable
- Bedal Campground11.8 km (7.3 mi) · reservable
- Esswine Group Camp13.3 km (8.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Four Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Big Four Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Four Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Four Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Four Mountain?
How far is Big Four Mountain from Darrington?
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.