Old Snowy Mountain — a mountain peak in Lewis County, Washington at about 2,389 m (7,838 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Tieton, about 57 km (36 mi) away (Old Snowy Mountain lies WSW of town).
Old Snowy Mountain (7,880+ ft (2,400+ m)) is located in the Goat Rocks on the border of Lewis and Yakima Counties, in the U.S. state of Washington. Old Snowy Mountain is within the Goat Rocks Wilderness in Gifford Pinchot National Forest and is flanked by the McCall Glacier on its eastern slopes while the smaller Packwood Glacier is just northwest of the peak. Additionally, the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail is on the west slopes of the peak.From the Wikipedia article “Old Snowy Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Old Snowy Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 54° NE | 9:03 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 124° SE | 4:22 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 34m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 59m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 21m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 00m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:13 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 48m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 28m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 12m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 25m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 36m |
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 Old Snowy Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:23 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:25 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:20 AM – 3:10 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 2:20 AM | 2.5 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:28 PM – 1:08 AM | 1.7 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 11:07 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:03 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.6 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 29% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 55 | 54 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 92 | 81 | 59 | 47 |
| Low °F | -12 | -9 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 37 | 27 | 14 | -11 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 6.7 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Old Snowy Mountain, closest first.
Wilderness AreaGlacierGlacier
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Natural ArchWaterfall
Mountain PassWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Walupt Lake Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- White Pass Lake (Leech Lake) Campground15.7 km (9.8 mi)
- Dog Lake Campground17.4 km (10.8 mi)
- Clear Lake Group Site19.5 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
- La Wis Wis Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Old Snowy Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Old Snowy Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Old Snowy Mountain?
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How far is Old Snowy Mountain from Tieton?
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.