Located in Snohomish County, Washington, Mount Pugh is a mountain peak at about 2,191 m (7,188 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 21 km (13 mi) SE of Darrington.
Mount Pugh (or Pugh Mountain, or native name Da Klagwats) is a peak near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Washington state. It is located 12.2 miles (19.6 km) west of Glacier Peak, one of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. It rises out of the confluence of the White Chuck River (on the north) and the Sauk River (on the southwest), giving it very low footings. For example, it rises 6,150 feet (1,875 m) above the Sauk River Valley in just over 2 horizontal miles (3.2 km); its rise over the White Chuck River is almost as dramatic. The mountain is named for John Pugh, who settled nearby, in 1891. According to Fred Beckey, "Nels Bruseth apparently made the first ascent in 1916". Earlier unrecorded ascents, including possibly much earlier Native American ascents, are possibilities, since the easiest ascent route is non-technical.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Pugh”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Pugh 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) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 52° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:15 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 | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:24 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:49 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:27 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:49 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 Pugh, 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 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 | 3:42 AM – 4:12 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:46 AM – 2:46 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:31 AM – 1:31 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:52 PM – 12:42 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 10:47 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.45 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 | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Pugh, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointWaterfall
Mountain PassWaterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Bedal Campground5.2 km (3.3 mi) · reservable
- Suiattle Guard Station13.8 km (8.6 mi) · reservable
- Buck Creek Campground14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Coal Creek Group Camp15.0 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
- Clear Creek Campground17.1 km (10.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Pugh?
What time is golden hour at Mount Pugh?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Pugh?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Pugh?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Pugh?
How far is Mount Pugh from Darrington?
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.