Located in Skamania County, Washington, Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill is a rock formation. It sits roughly 24 km (15 mi) NW of Carson.
Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill volcanic field (MMTC) is a volcanic field located in Washington, US.From the Wikipedia article “Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 54° NE | 9:03 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 44m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 124° SE | 4:26 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 39m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 04m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 23m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 56m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 43m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 23m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 29m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 41m |
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 Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | 5:24 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:18 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:44 PM – 2:34 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:24 PM – 1:14 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:16 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 9:14 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.34 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 25% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 61 | 60 | 74 | 80 | 90 | 93 | 99 | 96 | 96 | 83 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | -2 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
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 rock formation
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Volcano
Cave
Botanical Garden
Waterfall
Fire Lookout
Scenic ViewpointWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Govt Mineral Springs Guard Sta2.2 km (1.3 mi) · reservable
- Beaver Campground5.9 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- Paradise Creek Campground7.4 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Panther Creek Campground12.9 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
- Sunset Falls Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill?
What time is golden hour at Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill?
How far is Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill from Carson?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.