Mount Maude — a mountain peak in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,748 m (9,016 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Okanogan National Forest. It sits roughly 52 km (32 mi) WNW of Granite Falls.
Mount Maude is the 15th highest peak in Washington state. The peak is located in the Entiat Mountains, a subrange of the North Cascades. It is in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, at the headwaters of the Entiat River. The peak was given its name by Albert H. Sylvester in honor of Frederick Stanley Maude. The mountain from the south side consists of mostly talus with small rocky outcroppings, often compared with mountains in the Colorado Rockies. The northeast side is much different, with a steep rocky summit sheltering the small Entiat Glacier. Most climbers will climb Maude, Seven Fingered Jack, and sometimes Mount Fernow in the same trip.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Maude”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Maude 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 235° (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) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:08 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 126° SE | 4:13 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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 | 8:40 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:47 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 23m |
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 Maude, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:40 AM – 4:10 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:44 AM – 2:44 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:29 AM – 1:29 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:50 PM – 12:40 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 10:45 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.7 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Maude, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Waterfall
Glacier
Mountain PeakGlacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Alpine Meadows Campground10.4 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Nineteen Mile Campground13.3 km (8.2 mi) · reservable
- Nineteenmile Campground13.3 km (8.2 mi)
- Lucerne Campground17.4 km (10.8 mi)
- Cottonwood Cabin17.7 km (11.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Maude?
What time is golden hour at Mount Maude?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Maude?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Maude?
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How far is Mount Maude from Granite Falls?
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.