Mount Olympus is a mountain peak in Jefferson County, Washington at about 2,307 m (7,569 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to Olympic National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 41 km (25 mi) SSW of Port Angeles.
Mount Olympus, at 7,980 feet (2,430 m), is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains of the U.S. state of Washington. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is also a central feature of Olympic National Park. Mount Olympus is the highest summit of the Olympic Mountains; however, peaks such as Mount Constance and The Brothers, on the eastern margin of the range, are better known, being visible from the Seattle metropolitan area.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Olympus (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Olympus 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 | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 53° NE | 9:18 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:02 AM | 125° SE | 4:26 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 24m |
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 | 7:25 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:50 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:25 PM | 8h 50m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 09m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 59m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 38m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:29 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:59 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:51 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:24 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 Olympus, 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 | 3:50 AM – 4:20 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:51 AM – 3:11 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:25 AM – 2:05 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:54 PM – 1:04 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:34 PM – 11:04 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 ≈ 21.62 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 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
- 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.
- 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
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 Olympus, closest first.
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Waterfall
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hoh Rainforest Campground17.9 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Olympus?
What time is golden hour at Mount Olympus?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Olympus?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Olympus?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Olympus?
How far is Mount Olympus from Port Angeles?
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.