Located in Okanogan County, Washington, Mount Lago is a mountain peak at about 2,655 m (8,711 ft) above sea level. It is part of Pasayten Wilderness. It sits roughly 130 km (81 mi) ENE of Sedro-Woolley.
Mount Lago is a prominent 8,745-foot (2,665-metre) mountain summit located in the Okanogan Range of the North Cascades, in Okanogan County of Washington state. The mountain is situated on the eastern side of the Cascade crest, in the Pasayten Wilderness, on land managed by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The nearest higher peak is Jack Mountain, 19.5 miles (31.4 km) to the west-southwest. Mount Lago is the highest summit of the Okanogan Range, and follows only Jack Mountain {9,075 ft} as the highest peak in the Pasayten Wilderness. Lago is the fourth-most prominent mountain in the Pasayten Wilderness. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Pasayten River and Methow River. The mountain was named for Lage Wernstedt (1878–1959), a Forest Service surveyor who made numerous first ascents of the mountains he was mapping in the North Cascades. Lago,...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Lago”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Lago 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 309° (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) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:59 AM | 52° NE | 9:10 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:08 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 15m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:43 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:17 AM | 4:59 AM | 5:49 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:50 PM | 16h 09m |
| July | 4:35 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:46 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 11m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:12 PM | 4:07 PM | 4:44 PM | 8h 17m |
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 Lago, 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 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 | 3:52 AM – 4:02 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:49 AM – 2:39 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 2:30 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:58 PM – 12:38 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:28 PM – 10:28 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: 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 ≈ 21.85 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 | 45 | 47 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 87 | 87 | 89 | 85 | 76 | 54 | 43 |
| Low °F | -24 | -23 | -15 | -1 | 15 | 27 | 30 | 33 | 22 | 2 | -20 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Lago, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Fire Lookout
Ghost Town
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Pass
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Lago?
What time is golden hour at Mount Lago?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Lago?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Lago?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Lago?
How far is Mount Lago from Sedro-Woolley?
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.