Located in Skamania County, Washington, Dog Mountain is a mountain peak at about 858 m (2,815 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 9.2 km (5.7 mi) E of Carson.
Dog Mountain rises above the north side of the Columbia River Gorge in the U.S. state of Washington. The base of the mountain is in Skamania County along Washington State Route 14, about 9 miles (14 km) east of Stevenson and 53 miles (85 km) east of Vancouver. From its base at 150 feet (46 m), it climbs steeply to an elevation of 2,948 feet (899 m). The mountain is the site of a popular hiking trail that begins on the north side of Route 14 at milepost 53. The 6-mile (9.7 km) trail winds through heavy forest to meadows and the site of a former fire lookout. After climbing steeply for about the first half mile (0.8 km), the trail splits into two forks that meet again at the summit. The lookout was built in 1931 and reconstructed in 1952 to watch for fires across the river in Oregon's Mount Hood National Forest. Outmoded by surveillance from roads and airplanes, the fire lookout was...From the Wikipedia article “Dog Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dog Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 54° NE | 9:01 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:46 AM | 124° SE | 4:26 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 40m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:03 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 42m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 22m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:52 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:58 PM | 8h 42m |
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 Dog Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:13 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:13 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:14 AM – 3:14 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:39 PM – 2:29 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:20 PM – 1:20 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:14 PM – 11:14 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:12 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.42 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 25% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 61 | 60 | 74 | 80 | 90 | 93 | 99 | 96 | 96 | 83 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | -2 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Dog Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
State ParkWaterfall
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Wyeth Campground6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Moss Creek Campground10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Wahtum Lake Campground17.1 km (10.6 mi)
- Oklahoma Campground17.9 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Panther Creek Campground18.0 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dog Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Dog Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dog Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dog Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dog Mountain?
How far is Dog Mountain from Carson?
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.