Hozomeen Mountain — a mountain peak in Whatcom County, Washington at about 2,442 m (8,012 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Pasayten Wilderness. It sits roughly 102 km (63 mi) ENE of Sudden Valley.
Hozomeen Mountain is a double-summited rock peak on the east side of Ross Lake in the North Cascades of Washington state. Despite its modest absolute elevation, it is notable for the large, steep drops from both of its summits to the surrounding terrain.From the Wikipedia article “Hozomeen Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hozomeen 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 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 64° 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 | 9:13 PM | 309° NW | 64° | 16h 12m |
| 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 | 8:46 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:11 PM | 8h 42m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:44 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:17 AM | 5:00 AM | 5:50 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:53 PM | 16h 10m |
| July | 4:36 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 48m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 10m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:12 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 Hozomeen Mountain, 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 ≈ 21.83 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Hozomeen Mountain, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hozomeen Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Hozomeen Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hozomeen Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hozomeen Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hozomeen Mountain?
How far is Hozomeen 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.