Mount Ellinor is a mountain peak in Mason County, Washington at about 1,796 m (5,892 ft) above sea level. It is part of Olympic National Forest. The nearest town is Belfair, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Mount Ellinor lies WNW of town).
Mount Ellinor is a peak in the Olympic Mountains of Washington, United States. It is located in an area designated as the Mount Skokomish Wilderness. The mountain is a popular day hike in the summer months; the summit is reachable via a steep-but-brief 3.3-mile (5.3 km) trail which gains about 3,200 feet (980 m) in elevation from the lower trailhead. There are two trailheads, both of which are accessed from National Forest Road 24 north of Lake Cushman. This lower trailhead lies at an elevation of 2,666 feet (813 m), and the upper trailhead at about 3,400 feet (1,000 m); a Northwest Forest Pass is required to park at the upper trailhead.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Ellinor”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Ellinor 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) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 53° NE | 9:15 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:59 AM | 125° SE | 4:25 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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 | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:24 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 36m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:58 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 19m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Ellinor, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 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 | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:47 AM – 4:27 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:46 AM – 3:06 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:17 AM – 2:07 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:48 PM – 1:08 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:30 PM – 11:00 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: 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 ≈ 21.24 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
- 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.
- 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 Ellinor, closest first.
Wilderness Area
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
State ParkMountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Staircase Campground5.2 km (3.2 mi) · reservable
- Brown Creek Campground12.8 km (8.0 mi)
- Hamma Hamma Campground13.3 km (8.2 mi)
- Hamma Hamma Cabin13.5 km (8.4 mi) · reservable
- Collins Campground25 km (16 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Ellinor?
What time is golden hour at Mount Ellinor?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Ellinor?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Ellinor?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Ellinor?
How far is Mount Ellinor from Belfair?
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.