Located in Okanogan County, Washington, Goat Peak is a mountain peak at about 2,079 m (6,821 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 134 km (84 mi) N of East Wenatchee Bench.
Goat Peak is a 7,001-foot (2,134 m) peak in the North Cascades of Washington, United States. The summit offers broad views of the Methow River valley, as well as many of the other prominent cascade peaks including glaciated Silver Star Mountain. A working US Forest Service fire lookout is located on the summit. The trailhead for Goat Peak is accessible from Forest Road 52, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Mazama, starting at an elevation of 5,600 feet (1,700 m). This Goat Peak is one of three summits with the same name in Washington state.From the Wikipedia article “Goat Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Goat 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 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) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:00 AM | 52° NE | 9:08 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 126° SE | 4:09 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 17m |
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 | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 44m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:44 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 15m |
| June | 4:17 AM | 4:59 AM | 5:49 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:49 PM | 16h 07m |
| July | 4:36 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 45m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 22m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:45 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 13m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:12 PM | 4:07 PM | 4:44 PM | 8h 19m |
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 Goat Peak, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:52 AM – 4:02 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:49 AM – 2:39 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 2:30 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:58 PM – 12:38 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:28 PM – 10:28 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 ≈ 21.84 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 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Goat Peak, closest first.
National Forest
Waterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain PassMountain Peak
Rock FormationFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Goat Peak?
What time is golden hour at Goat Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Goat Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Goat Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Goat Peak?
How far is Goat Peak from East Wenatchee Bench?
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.