Chopaka Mountain is a mountain peak in Okanogan County, Washington at about 2,403 m (7,884 ft) above sea level. It is part of Chopaka Mountain Natural Area Preserve. It sits roughly 26 km (16 mi) W of Oroville.
Chopaka Mountain, also known as Mount Chopaka, is a summit in the leeward flank of the North Cascades. Its summit area is a Natural Area Preserve comprising 2,764 acres (1,119 ha), and features a mountain goat population and various rare plants. The last surviving native herd of bighorn sheep in Washington was located on Chopaka Mountain until hunted out in the 1920s.From the Wikipedia article “Chopaka Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Chopaka 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 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 64° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:56 AM | 52° NE | 9:08 PM | 309° NW | 64° | 16h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 126° SE | 4:05 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 14m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 42m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:40 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:13 AM | 4:55 AM | 5:45 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:48 PM | 16h 10m |
| July | 4:31 AM | 5:12 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 48m |
| August | 5:17 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 10m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:08 PM | 4:03 PM | 4:40 PM | 8h 16m |
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 Chopaka Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky 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 | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| April | 3:50 AM – 4:00 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:59 AM – 2:39 AM | 0.7 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:49 PM – 2:19 AM | 2.5 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:00 AM – 12:30 AM | 0.5 | 11° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 10:27 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 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 34% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (74%). July 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 | 42 | 52 | 61 | 76 | 86 | 96 | 97 | 97 | 90 | 79 | 56 | 40 |
| Low °F | -24 | -14 | -7 | 13 | 24 | 31 | 38 | 39 | 26 | 11 | -13 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Chopaka Mountain, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Chopaka Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Chopaka Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Chopaka Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Chopaka Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Chopaka Mountain?
How far is Chopaka Mountain from Oroville?
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.