Desolation Peak — a mountain peak in Whatcom County, Washington at about 1,855 m (6,086 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Ross Lake National Recreation Area. The nearest town is Sudden Valley, about 100 km (62 mi) away (Desolation Peak lies ENE of town).
Desolation Peak is in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington state, about 6.2 miles (10.0 km) south of the Canada–United States border and in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. It was first climbed in 1926 by Lage Wernstedt, who named it for the destruction caused by a forest fire that swept the slopes bare that same year. At the summit stands a small wooden one-room fire lookout belonging to the National Park Service. The lookout is 15 miles (24 km) from the nearest road and overlooks miles of forest and numerous other peaks. Jack Kerouac spent 63 days during the summer of 1956 as a fire lookout on Desolation Peak. He wrote about his experiences in The Dharma Bums, Lonesome Traveler, Desolation Angels and in a collection of haiku by the name of "Desolation pops". Desolation Peak Trail, is a steep hike to high meadows, great views and the fire lookout. It is a very popular...From the Wikipedia article “Desolation Peak (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Desolation 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 309° (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) | 5:01 AM | 52° NE | 9:12 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 126° SE | 4:10 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 | 7:17 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:11 PM | 8h 42m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:18 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:51 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:53 PM | 16h 10m |
| July | 4:37 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 47m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 11m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:13 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:45 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 Desolation Peak, 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 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 | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| April | 3:55 AM – 4:05 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:04 AM – 2:44 AM | 0.7 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:54 PM – 2:24 AM | 2.5 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:05 AM – 12:35 AM | 0.5 | 11° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:32 PM – 10:32 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: 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 ≈ 21.82 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 | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
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 Desolation Peak, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Lake
GlacierMountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakFire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hozomeen Campground9.3 km (5.8 mi)
- Gorge Lake Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek North Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek South Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Desolation Peak?
What time is golden hour at Desolation Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Desolation Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Desolation Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Desolation Peak?
How far is Desolation Peak from Sudden Valley?
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.