Located in King County, Washington, Mount Washington is a mountain peak at about 1,344 m (4,409 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Wilderness Rim, about 5.7 km (3.5 mi) away (Mount Washington lies ESE of town).
Mount Washington is a small mountain in the US state of Washington roughly 30 miles (48 km) east-southeast of Seattle, Washington along Interstate 90. It lies on the western margin of the Cascade Range just above the coastal plains around Puget Sound, and is southeast of nearby town of North Bend. Once known as Profile Mountain, Mount Washington was named due to a cliff resembling a profile of George Washington when viewed from an angle. The hike to the top of Mt. Washington is known for its view. Cedar Butte lies at the west end of the mountain.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Washington (Cascades)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Washington 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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 53° NE | 9:08 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 125° SE | 4:19 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:50 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:30 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:58 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 29m |
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 Washington, 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 | 3:41 AM – 4:21 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:40 AM – 3:00 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:11 AM – 2:01 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:42 PM – 1:02 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:24 PM – 10:54 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 ≈ 20.53 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 36% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 53 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 78 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Low °F | -16 | -11 | -4 | 6 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 35 | 27 | 5 | -10 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 9.6 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Washington, closest first.
Waterfall
Waterfall
State Park
Waterfall
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Tinkham Campground10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Middle Fork Campground18.1 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Denny Creek Campground19.5 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Washington?
What time is golden hour at Mount Washington?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Washington?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Washington?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Washington?
How far is Mount Washington from Wilderness Rim?
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.