Located in Whatcom County, Washington, Galbraith Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,785 m (5,856 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Sudden Valley, about 4.0 km (2.5 mi) away (Galbraith Mountain lies SSW of town).
Galbraith Mountain is the common name for North Lookout Mountain, located between the communities of Sudden Valley and Bellingham, Washington. It has been rated the best mountain bike trail system in the state of Washington. Galbraith Mountain is located between Lake Padden and Lake Whatcom. Over 65 miles of singletrack winds through 3,000 acres overlooking the city of Bellingham and Bellingham Bay. The mountain is accessible to all non-motorized use; all of the trails are built and maintained by the WMBC.From the Wikipedia article “Galbraith Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Galbraith 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 308° (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) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 52° NE | 9:17 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:00 AM | 126° SE | 4:16 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 16m |
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 | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:49 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 44m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 15m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:57 PM | 16h 08m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 45m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:13 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 12m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:51 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 18m |
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 Galbraith Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:59 AM – 4:09 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:56 AM – 2:46 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:57 PM – 2:37 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:05 AM – 12:45 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:35 PM – 10:35 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.23 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 44% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 58 | 68 | 69 | 83 | 91 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 93 | 78 | 64 | 58 |
| Low °F | 10 | 15 | 21 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 46 | 41 | 28 | 15 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.4 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 8.1 | 6.7 |
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.
- 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 Galbraith Mountain, closest first.
Lake
Lake
State Park
Botanical Garden
Lake
Waterfall
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Galbraith Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Galbraith Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Galbraith Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Galbraith Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Galbraith Mountain?
How far is Galbraith Mountain 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.