Clark Mountain is a mountain peak in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,606 m (8,550 ft) above sea level. It is part of Okanogan National Forest. It sits roughly 52 km (32 mi) ESE of Darrington.
Clark Mountain (8,602 feet (2,622 m)) is in Wenatchee National Forests in the U.S. state of Washington. Clark Mountain is the tallest peak in the Dakobed Range and lies 8 mi (13 km) southeast of Glacier Peak. Richardson Glacier descends to the northeast of the summit, while Clark Glacier lies on the east slopes. Luahna Peak lies 1.04 mi (1.67 km) to the northwest.From the Wikipedia article “Clark Mountain (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Clark 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) | 7:08 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 53° NE | 9:08 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 126° SE | 4:14 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 | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:23 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:47 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:41 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:18 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:48 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 Clark 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 3 (rural sky), 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 | 3:40 AM – 4:10 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:42 AM – 2:52 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:21 AM – 1:41 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:47 PM – 12:47 AM | 1.0 | 13° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.63 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Clark Mountain, closest first.
Glacier
Waterfall
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Hot Spring
Glacier
Volcano
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Alpine Meadows Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Nineteen Mile Campground11.0 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Nineteenmile Campground11.0 km (6.8 mi)
- Rock Creek Campground15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Cottonwood Cabin25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Clark Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Clark Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Clark Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Clark Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Clark Mountain?
How far is Clark 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.