Johannesburg Mountain — a mountain peak in Skagit County, Washington at about 2,469 m (8,100 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 44 km (28 mi) ENE of Darrington.
Johannesburg Mountain is one of the most famous peaks in the North Cascades of Washington state. Though not one of the top 100 peaks in the state by elevation, nor one of the top peaks as ranked by topographic prominence, Johannesburg is notable for its large, steep local relief, and particularly its immense, dramatic Northeast Face, which drops 5,000 feet (1,525 m) in only 0.9 miles (1.4 km). The name "Johannesburg Mountain" comes, through an error, from "Johnsberg," the name of three mining claims on the north face of the peak. It has also been called "Elsbeth." Johannesburg Mountain was first climbed on July 26, 1938, by Calder Bressler, Bill Cox, Ray W. Clough, and Tom Myers, via a version of the most popular route today, the East Ridge/Cascade-Johannesburg Couloir Route. This route, and others which also finish on the south side of the mountain, are mostly scrambling routes....From the Wikipedia article “Johannesburg Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Johannesburg 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) | 7:08 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 52° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:12 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 18m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 45m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 14m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:50 PM | 16h 05m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 43m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 22m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 14m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 20m |
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 Johannesburg Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | 3:53 AM – 4:13 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:48 AM – 2:48 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:42 AM – 1:22 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:55 PM – 12:35 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:28 PM – 10:38 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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 ≈ 21.71 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Johannesburg Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
GlacierMountain Peak
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mineral Park Campground5.6 km (3.5 mi) · reservable
- Marble Creek Campground15.3 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek South Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Colonial Creek North Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Sulphur Creek Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Johannesburg Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Johannesburg Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Johannesburg Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Johannesburg Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Johannesburg Mountain?
How far is Johannesburg Mountain from Darrington?
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.