Located in Snohomish County, Washington, Whitehorse Mountain is a mountain peak at about 2,015 m (6,611 ft) above sea level. It is part of Boulder River Wilderness. The nearest town is Darrington, about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) away (Whitehorse Mountain lies SW of town).
Whitehorse Mountain (Lushootseed: čubaliali) is a peak near the western edge of the North Cascades in Washington state. It is located just southwest of the Sauk River Valley town of Darrington, near the northern boundary of Boulder River Wilderness in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. While not of particularly high absolute elevation, even for the North Cascades, it is notable for its large, steep local relief. For example, its north face rises 6,000 feet (1,830 m) in only 1.8 mi (2.9 km). The first recorded climb of Whitehorse Mountain was made in 1909 by Nels Bruseth. The standard route on the peak is via the Northwest Shoulder, which begins with a difficult trail hike, involves a good deal of snow climbing, and culminates with some exposed scrambling, class 3. The net elevation gain is about 6,000 feet (1,828.80 m), making this a strenuous outing. Other routes include the...From the Wikipedia article “Whitehorse Mountain (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Whitehorse Mountain 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 | 9:12 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 126° SE | 4:16 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 20m |
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 | 3:49 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:16 PM | 8h 47m |
| 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 | 6:17 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 | 5:06 AM | 5:55 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 52m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:46 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:50 PM | 8h 22m |
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 Whitehorse Mountain, 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 ≈ 21.24 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
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Whitehorse Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness Area
WaterfallWaterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Clear Creek Campground7.8 km (4.8 mi) · reservable
- Turlo Campground15.3 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Verlot Campground15.4 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
- Tulalip Mill Site Group Campground15.4 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
- Esswine Group Camp15.4 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Whitehorse Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Whitehorse Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Whitehorse Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Whitehorse Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Whitehorse Mountain?
How far is Whitehorse Mountain 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.