Denny Mountain — a mountain peak in King County, Washington at about 1,683 m (5,522 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It sits roughly 23 km (14 mi) E of Tanner.
Denny Mountain is summit near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington state. The Alpental ski area is located on the mountain's eastern flank. The mountain is named after Arthur A. Denny of the Denny Party, who oversaw the construction of the Snoqualmie Pass Road, which later became I-90, and which runs along the mountain's southern base.From the Wikipedia article “Denny Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Denny Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 53° NE | 9:07 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 125° SE | 4:18 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:49 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:46 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 29m |
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 Denny Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), 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 | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:40 AM – 4:20 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:39 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:10 AM – 2:00 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:41 PM – 1:01 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 10:53 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.11 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 36% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 53 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 78 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Low °F | -16 | -11 | -4 | 6 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 35 | 27 | 5 | -10 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 9.6 |
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.
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 Denny Mountain, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
Lake
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain Peak
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Denny Creek Campground3.0 km (1.9 mi) · reservable
- Tinkham Campground10.1 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Middle Fork Campground14.2 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Kachess17.8 km (11.0 mi) · reservable
- East Kachess Group Site21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Denny Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Denny Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Denny Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Denny Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Denny Mountain?
How far is Denny Mountain from Tanner?
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.