Whiskey Dick Mountain — a mountain peak in Kittitas County, Washington at about 1,182 m (3,878 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Kittitas, about 14.8 km (9.2 mi) away (Whiskey Dick Mountain lies ENE of town).
Whiskey Dick Mountain is located 15 miles (24 km) east of Ellensburg, in Washington state. Within the 28,549-acre (115.53 km2) Whiskey Dick Unit of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area, it is the highest point on Windy Ridge. The site of the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility is on its southwest flank. The farm, with 149 wind turbines, is owned by Puget Sound Energy. Public access to the power company's land, whether owned or leased, is available by permit for recreational purposes only. The area offers opportunities for hiking and hunting.From the Wikipedia article “Whiskey Dick Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Whiskey Dick 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 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 53° NE | 9:00 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 125° SE | 4:15 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 30m |
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 | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:26 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 32m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:46 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:48 PM | 8h 32m |
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 Whiskey Dick Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 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 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 | 5:29 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:22 AM – 4:12 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:29 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:54 PM – 2:04 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:29 PM – 12:59 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 10:55 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 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 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). July 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 | 51 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 86 | 95 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 78 | 60 | 45 |
| Low °F | -11 | -4 | -1 | 16 | 22 | 31 | 37 | 39 | 28 | 12 | -6 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Whiskey Dick Mountain, closest first.
Canyon
State Park
State ParkFAQ
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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.