Mount Constitution is a mountain peak in San Juan County, Washington at about 732 m (2,402 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 21 km (13 mi) NE of Friday Harbor.
Mount Constitution is a mountain on Orcas Island, the highest point in the San Juan Islands and the second highest mountain on an ocean island in the contiguous 48 states. Only Devils Peak in the Channel Islands of California is higher.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Constitution”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Constitution 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) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 52° NE | 9:18 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:02 AM | 126° SE | 4:18 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 16m |
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 | 8:51 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 44m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 15m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:59 PM | 16h 08m |
| July | 4:45 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:51 PM | 15h 45m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:55 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 12m |
| December | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:53 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 18m |
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 Constitution, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| 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 | 4:01 AM – 4:11 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:58 AM – 2:48 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:59 PM – 2:39 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:07 AM – 12:47 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:37 PM – 10:37 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.38 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 44% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 68 | 69 | 83 | 91 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 93 | 78 | 64 | 58 |
| Low °F | 10 | 15 | 21 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 46 | 41 | 28 | 15 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.4 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 8.1 | 6.7 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Constitution, closest first.
Fire Lookout
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Lighthouse
State ParkLighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Constitution?
What time is golden hour at Mount Constitution?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Constitution?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Constitution?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Constitution?
How far is Mount Constitution from Friday Harbor?
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.