Cold Bay Volcano — a volcano in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 33 km (20 mi) W of King Cove.
Wikidata describes it as: “stratovolcano at the southwest end of the Alaska Peninsula”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cold Bay Volcano the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 45° (NE) at the June solstice and 133° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 316° (NW) in June to 228° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 58° in summer but only 11° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:54 AM | 89° E | 9:05 PM | 271° W | 35° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:12 AM | 45° NE | 11:36 PM | 316° NW | 58° | 17h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:38 AM | 89° E | 8:52 PM | 272° W | 35° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:16 AM | 133° SE | 5:25 PM | 228° SW | 11° | 7h 09m |
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
Volcanic cones and lava fields have strong shapes that read well in side-light; dark basalt needs careful exposure.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:25 AM | 10:08 AM | 11:15 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:38 PM | 7h 47m |
| February | 8:37 AM | 9:15 AM | 10:08 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:36 PM | 9h 44m |
| March | 8:31 AM | 9:07 AM | 9:55 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:31 PM | 11h 49m |
| April | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:37 AM | 9:07 PM | 9:56 PM | 10:35 PM | 14h 08m |
| May | 5:56 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:39 AM | 9:58 PM | 10:53 PM | 11:41 PM | 16h 10m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:14 AM | 10:32 PM | 11:33 PM | 12:32 AM | 17h 21m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:32 AM | 10:24 PM | 11:23 PM | 12:16 AM | 16h 50m |
| August | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:18 AM | 9:35 PM | 10:27 PM | 11:09 PM | 15h 00m |
| September | 7:48 AM | 8:25 AM | 9:13 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:47 PM | 12h 45m |
| October | 8:45 AM | 9:22 AM | 10:12 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:30 PM | 10h 32m |
| November | 8:44 AM | 9:25 AM | 10:26 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:30 PM | 8h 24m |
| December | 9:26 AM | 10:12 AM | 11:26 AM | 4:09 PM | 5:23 PM | 6:09 PM | 7h 12m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), 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
At this latitude the summer nights are too short or too bright for the Milky Way core to stand high in true darkness; aim for star trails or the aurora.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 88% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (93%). August is the warmest month and March 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 | 41 | 41 | 46 | 47 | 61 | 68 | 71 | 69 | 62 | 54 | 50 | 47 |
| Low °F | 5 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 40 | 34 | 27 | 18 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 |
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 volcano
- Snow-capped volcanoes reflect alpenglow at sunrise — shoot from a lake or meadow for a reflection.
- Lava rock is sharp and unstable; stay on trails.
- Long lenses from 20–60 miles away make large stratovolcanoes dominate the horizon.
- Check local volcanic activity notices and area closures before visiting.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Summer for high trails; winter and spring for snowy cones viewed from below.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Tripod, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Cold Bay Volcano, closest first.
Volcano
Scenic Viewpoint
LighthouseLighthouse
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cold Bay Volcano?
What time is golden hour at Cold Bay Volcano?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cold Bay Volcano?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cold Bay Volcano?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cold Bay Volcano?
How far is Cold Bay Volcano from King Cove?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata. 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.