Located in Chelan County, Washington, Booker Mountain is a mountain peak at about 2,475 m (8,120 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Darrington, about 52 km (32 mi) away (Booker Mountain lies ENE of town).
Booker Mountain, also known as Mount Booker, with an elevation of 8,284 feet (2,525 m), is located in the North Cascades of Washington, about 1.5 miles SE of Mount Buckner, between Park Creek and Stehekin River. It is named in honor of Booker T. Washington.From the Wikipedia article “Booker Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Booker Mountain 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 234° (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) | 7:08 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 52° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:12 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 18m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 45m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 14m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:50 PM | 16h 06m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 43m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 22m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 13m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 20m |
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 Booker Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:53 AM – 4:13 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:48 AM – 2:48 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:42 AM – 1:22 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:55 PM – 12:35 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:28 PM – 10:38 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.74 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 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.
- 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 Booker Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Glacier
GlacierGlacier
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mineral Park Campground14.0 km (8.7 mi) · reservable
- Marble Creek Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Harlequin Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek South Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek North Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Booker Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Booker Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Booker Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Booker Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Booker Mountain?
How far is Booker 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.