Sentinel Peak (Washington) — a mountain peak in Chelan County, Washington at about 2,502 m (8,209 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Darrington, about 43 km (27 mi) away (Sentinel Peak (Washington) lies ENE of town).
Sentinel Peak is a 8,266-foot (2,519-metre) mountain located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of Washington's North Cascades. The summit is part of the Ptarmigan Traverse. The mountain is situated on the crest of the Cascade Range, on the shared border of Snohomish County and Chelan County, also straddling the boundary between the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Wenatchee National Forest. The South Cascade Glacier lies below its western slope, and the LeConte Glacier lies on the northeast slope. Its nearest higher peak is Spire Point, 3.03 mi (4.88 km) to the south-southwest.From the Wikipedia article “Sentinel Peak (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sentinel Peak (Washington) 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) | 7:08 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 52° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:13 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 19m |
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 | 7:51 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 46m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 13m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:50 PM | 16h 05m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 42m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 21m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 14m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 21m |
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 Sentinel Peak (Washington), 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:41 AM – 4:11 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:45 AM – 2:45 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:51 PM – 12:41 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:46 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: 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 ≈ 21.69 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
- 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 Sentinel Peak (Washington), closest first.
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain PeakGlacier
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mineral Park Campground15.2 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Sulphur Creek Campground16.5 km (10.2 mi) · reservable
- Suiattle Guard Station23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Buck Creek Campground23 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Harlequin Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sentinel Peak (Washington)?
What time is golden hour at Sentinel Peak (Washington)?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sentinel Peak (Washington)?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sentinel Peak (Washington)?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sentinel Peak (Washington)?
How far is Sentinel Peak (Washington) 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.