Mount Christie is a mountain peak in Jefferson County, Washington at about 1,868 m (6,129 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to Olympic National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Port Angeles East, about 47 km (29 mi) away (Mount Christie lies SSW of town).
Mount Christie is high peak in the Olympic Mountains of Washington in Olympic National Park. Mount Christie is located in the Queets-Quinault group. Precipitation on Mt. Christie drains into the Elwha River on the north side, and into the Quinault River on the south side. The mountain was named to honor James Halbold Christie, who was the leader of the Seattle Press Expedition which first explored the unknown interior of the range in 1889–1890. The massif has several peaks, and the large Christie Glacier resides in the north cirque below the main summit.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Christie (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Christie 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 308° (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) | 7:18 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 53° NE | 9:17 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 125° SE | 4:25 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 25m |
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 | 7:24 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:49 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:25 PM | 8h 51m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 08m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:56 PM | 15h 59m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 37m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:59 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:50 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:23 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 26m |
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 Christie, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.7 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 3 (rural sky), 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 | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:49 AM – 4:19 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:50 AM – 3:10 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:24 AM – 2:04 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:53 PM – 1:03 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:33 PM – 11:03 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.52 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 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 62 | 67 | 76 | 89 | 98 | 99 | 97 | 99 | 84 | 65 | 54 |
| Low °F | -2 | 12 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 37 | 39 | 41 | 32 | 22 | 3 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 14.2 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 6.6 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 9.6 | 15.0 | 13.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Christie, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Glacier
Waterfall
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Christie?
What time is golden hour at Mount Christie?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Christie?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Christie?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Christie?
How far is Mount Christie from Port Angeles East?
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.