Bonanza Peak — a mountain peak in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,849 m (9,347 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Glacier Peak Wilderness. It sits roughly 54 km (34 mi) E of Darrington.
Bonanza Peak is a tall peak in the North Cascades in the U.S. state of Washington and the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Wenatchee National Forest. At 9,516 feet (2,900 m) in elevation, it is the highest point in Chelan County, and the highest non-volcanic peak in Washington and the Cascade Range as a whole. Bonanza Peak's prominence is 3,711 feet (1,131 m), making it the 26th most prominent peak in Washington. The nearest higher peak is Glacier Peak, 14.4 miles (23.2 km) to the southwest. Bonanza Peak is flanked with three large glaciers: Company Glacier to the north, Mary Green Glacier to the east, and Isella Glacier to the south.From the Wikipedia article “Bonanza Peak (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bonanza Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (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 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:09 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 126° SE | 4:12 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 20m |
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 | 8:41 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 47m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 12m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:48 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 22m |
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 Bonanza Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:40 AM – 4:10 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:44 AM – 2:44 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:29 AM – 1:29 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:50 PM – 12:40 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 10:45 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.71 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 | 45 | 47 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 87 | 87 | 89 | 85 | 76 | 54 | 43 |
| Low °F | -24 | -23 | -15 | -1 | 15 | 27 | 30 | 33 | 22 | 2 | -20 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Bonanza Peak, closest first.
Glacier
Glacier
Waterfall
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Harlequin Campground16.6 km (10.3 mi) · reservable
- Lucerne Campground21 km (13 mi)
- Alpine Meadows Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Sulphur Creek Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Nineteen Mile Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bonanza Peak?
What time is golden hour at Bonanza Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bonanza Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bonanza Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bonanza Peak?
How far is Bonanza Peak 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.