Three Fingers — a mountain peak in Snohomish County, Washington at about 1,984 m (6,509 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Darrington, about 11.4 km (7.1 mi) away (Three Fingers lies SW of town).
The Three Fingers (Lushootseed: sgʷistalb) is a mountain which is located in Snohomish County, Washington. At a height of 6,859 feet (2,091 m), it is the 12th most prominent peak of the state, and is also part of the Cascade Range. The name "Three Fingers" refers to the mountain's three summits. The Three Fingers is a prominent and recognizable landmark in northern Snohomish County. The first ascent of the mountain came in 1929, by Darrington-based mountaineers Harry Bedal and Harold Engles. A fire lookout was built on the southernmost peak by Bedal, Engels, and Frank Benesh, and was seasonally staffed from 1933 until 1942. Supposedly, the top 15 feet (4.6 m) of the southern peak was blasted for the cabin, lowering the mountain's height in the process. It was abandoned and later rebuilt by local mountaineering groups in the 1960s and 1980s. The lookout was added to the National...From the Wikipedia article “Three Fingers (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Three Fingers 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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 52° NE | 9:11 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 126° SE | 4:16 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:16 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 12m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:56 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:51 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:51 PM | 8h 23m |
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 Three Fingers, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| 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 | 3:44 AM – 4:14 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:48 AM – 2:48 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:33 AM – 1:33 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:54 PM – 12:44 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:29 PM – 10:49 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.17 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 Three Fingers, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness Area
WaterfallWaterfall
Lake
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Clear Creek Campground10.1 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Esswine Group Camp10.8 km (6.7 mi) · reservable
- Wiley Creek Group Camp10.9 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Gold Basin Campground11.0 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Verlot Campground11.1 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Three Fingers?
What time is golden hour at Three Fingers?
Where does the sun rise and set at Three Fingers?
Can you see the Milky Way from Three Fingers?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Three Fingers?
How far is Three Fingers 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.