North Gardner Mountain — a mountain peak in Okanogan County, Washington at about 2,716 m (8,911 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Okanogan National Forest. The nearest town is Wenatchee, about 122 km (76 mi) away (North Gardner Mountain lies N of town).
North Gardner Mountain is a mountain in the North Cascades of Washington state. The mountain is located in the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and is the highest point in Okanogan County, Washington, and the 23rd highest mountain in the state.From the Wikipedia article “North Gardner Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At North Gardner Mountain 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 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) | 5:01 AM | 52° NE | 9:08 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 126° SE | 4:10 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 18m |
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 | 7:50 AM | 8:41 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:10 PM | 8h 45m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 14m |
| June | 4:18 AM | 5:00 AM | 5:50 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:48 PM | 16h 06m |
| July | 4:37 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 44m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 22m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:46 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 13m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:13 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:45 PM | 8h 20m |
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 North Gardner Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:51 AM – 4:11 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:46 AM – 2:46 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:40 AM – 1:20 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:53 PM – 12:33 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:36 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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 ≈ 21.81 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 North Gardner Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
National Forest
Mountain PassMountain Peak
Rock Formation
Lake
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph North Gardner Mountain?
What time is golden hour at North Gardner Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at North Gardner Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from North Gardner Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at North Gardner Mountain?
How far is North Gardner Mountain from Wenatchee?
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.