Seahpo Peak — a mountain peak in Whatcom County, Washington at about 2,229 m (7,313 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 46 km (28 mi) ESE of Peaceful Valley.
Seahpo Peak is a subsidiary peak of Mount Shuksan, which rises in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the main peak of Shuksan and rises to about 7,441 feet (2,268 m). It is located in North Cascades National Park and is part of the North Cascades range. Connected to the main peak by the roughly 7,000-foot (2,100 m)-high Jagged Ridge, Seahpo Peak stands to the north at the headwaters of a headstream of Sulphide Creek, a tributary of the Baker River. Several waterfalls tumble off its flanks, including Seahpo Peak Falls and Cloudcap Falls. (Seahpo Peak is sometimes referred to as Cloudcap Peak.) The mountain is also on the south side of the Nooksack Cirque, which forms the headwaters of the Nooksack River. It is bordered by the East Nooksack Glacier to the north and a few smaller unnamed glaciers to the south. It is also connected to Icy Peak by...From the Wikipedia article “Seahpo Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Seahpo Peak 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 309° (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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:14 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:58 AM | 126° SE | 4:13 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 15m |
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 | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:27 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:54 PM | 16h 09m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 11m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:49 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:48 PM | 8h 17m |
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 Seahpo Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° 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 | 3:56 AM – 4:06 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:53 AM – 2:43 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:54 PM – 2:34 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:02 AM – 12:42 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:32 PM – 10:32 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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 ≈ 21.73 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 | 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Seahpo Peak, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
GlacierWaterfall
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain PeakGlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shannon Creek Campground9.6 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Park Creek Campground12.7 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Swift Creek Campground12.8 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
- Panorama Point Campground13.9 km (8.7 mi) · reservable
- Silver Fir Campground14.2 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Seahpo Peak?
What time is golden hour at Seahpo Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Seahpo Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Seahpo Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Seahpo Peak?
How far is Seahpo Peak from Peaceful Valley?
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.