Located in Kittitas County, Washington, Mount Catherine is a mountain peak at about 1,514 m (4,967 ft) above sea level. It is part of Okanogan National Forest. It sits roughly 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Riverbend.
Mount Catherine is a mountain peak in the Cascade Range in Washington state located near Snoqualmie Pass and Keechelus Lake. It is accessible via Forest Road 9070 except in winter. The Nordic Pass snowshoe trail starts near the Summit East ski area (formerly called Hyak), and ends at this popular destination at a low point on the west ridge of Mount Catherine. Winter ascents of Mount Catherine are frequently done by continuing up the ridge to the summit.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Catherine (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Catherine the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 53° NE | 9:07 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 125° SE | 4:18 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:49 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 34m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 29m |
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 Mount Catherine, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 5:34 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:29 AM – 4:19 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:37 AM – 3:07 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:04 AM – 2:04 AM | 2.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:38 PM – 12:58 AM | 1.3 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:22 PM – 11:02 PM | 0.7 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.17 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 36% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 53 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 78 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Low °F | -16 | -11 | -4 | 6 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 35 | 27 | 5 | -10 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 9.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Mount Catherine, closest first.
Waterfall
Waterfall
Fire Lookout
Mountain PeakWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Denny Creek Campground4.6 km (2.8 mi) · reservable
- Tinkham Campground11.1 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
- Kachess13.9 km (8.7 mi) · reservable
- East Kachess Group Site15.8 km (9.8 mi) · reservable
- Middle Fork Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Catherine?
What time is golden hour at Mount Catherine?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Catherine?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Catherine?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Catherine?
How far is Mount Catherine from Riverbend?
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.