Cardinal Peak is a mountain peak in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,608 m (8,556 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Granite Falls, about 38 km (24 mi) away (Cardinal Peak lies NW of town).
Cardinal Peak is the highest peak of the Chelan Mountains, a subrange of the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Wenatchee National Forest at the head of the Entiat River drainage basin, in Chelan County. To the west and north, streams flow into Lake Chelan. Cardinal Peak is less than 5 miles (8.0 km) from the lake and rises 7,500 feet (2,300 m) above the lakeshore. At 8,595 feet (2,620 m) high, it is the 49th highest peak in Washington. Its 2,070-foot (630 m) prominence ranks 132nd in the state. The rocks of Cardinal Peak are mainly granodiorite and hornblende quartz diorite, minerals of the Cardinal Peak pluton.From the Wikipedia article “Cardinal Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cardinal 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) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 52° NE | 9:07 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:50 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 126° SE | 4:12 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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 | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:46 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:46 PM | 8h 23m |
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 Cardinal Peak, 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 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 | 3:38 AM – 4:08 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:40 AM – 2:50 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:19 AM – 1:39 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:45 PM – 12:45 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 10:43 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 ≈ 21.73 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cardinal Peak, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfallWaterfall
Glacier
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Graham Harbor Creek Campground9.2 km (5.7 mi)
- Cottonwood Cabin9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Graham Harbor Campground9.5 km (5.9 mi)
- Three Creek Group Site - Okanogan-Wenatchee Nf10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Lucerne Campground11.1 km (6.9 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cardinal Peak?
What time is golden hour at Cardinal Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cardinal Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cardinal Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cardinal Peak?
How far is Cardinal Peak from Granite Falls?
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.