Located in King County, Washington, Squak Mountain is a mountain peak at about 471 m (1,545 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Issaquah, about 3.8 km (2.4 mi) away (Squak Mountain lies S of town).
Squak Mountain (Lushootseed: dexʷkayuʔalʔtxʷ) is the second most westerly mountain of the Issaquah Alps mountain chain in Washington state. It is situated between Cougar Mountain to the west and Tiger Mountain to the east. Interstate 90 parallels the base of the north side of the mountain. Much of the Squak Mountain watershed drains into Lake Sammamish. Most of the mountain is protected by Squak Mountain State Park and the Cougar/Squak and Squak/Tiger Corridors of King County. Squak Mountain actually consists of three major peaks: the Central Peak (Elevation 2024 feet), the West Peak (Elevation 1995 feet), and the Southeast Peak (Elevation 1673 feet). The name "Squak" comes from the Southern Lushootseed placename /sqʷásxʷ/, which is also the source of the name Issaquah Creek and the city of Issaquah.From the Wikipedia article “Squak Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Squak Mountain 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) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 53° NE | 9:10 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 125° SE | 4:20 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:31 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Squak Mountain, 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| 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 | 3:42 AM – 4:22 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:41 AM – 3:01 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:12 AM – 2:02 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:43 PM – 1:03 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 10:55 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.75 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 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 64 | 63 | 71 | 87 | 90 | 93 | 100 | 91 | 91 | 79 | 71 | 60 |
| Low °F | 13 | 15 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 40 | 46 | 46 | 39 | 28 | 16 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.7 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.8 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Squak Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
State Park
Lake
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Squak Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Squak Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Squak Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Squak Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Squak Mountain?
How far is Squak Mountain from Issaquah?
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.