Mount Roundtop — a volcano in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers.
Roundtop Mountain is a stratovolcano located on the Aleutian island of Unimak in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its last eruption was sometime between 9,100 and 10,000 years ago. This geographic feature was first called "Dome" in 1897 by Lieutenant Commander J. F. Moser, of the U.S. Navy. Its name was reported as "Round Top" by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1902. Isanotski Peaks, the nearest higher neighbor, is positioned 5.9 mi (9 km) to the west-southwest.From the Wikipedia article “Roundtop Mountain (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Roundtop the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 45° (NE) at the June solstice and 132° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 315° (NW) in June to 228° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 59° in summer but only 12° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:57 AM | 89° E | 9:08 PM | 271° W | 35° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:17 AM | 45° NE | 11:37 PM | 315° NW | 59° | 17h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:41 AM | 89° E | 8:55 PM | 272° W | 35° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:17 AM | 132° SE | 5:30 PM | 228° SW | 12° | 7h 12m |
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 | 9:27 AM | 10:09 AM | 11:15 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:42 PM | 7h 50m |
| February | 8:39 AM | 9:17 AM | 10:10 AM | 6:09 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 9h 45m |
| March | 8:34 AM | 9:10 AM | 9:58 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:34 PM | 11h 49m |
| April | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:41 AM | 9:09 PM | 9:58 PM | 10:37 PM | 14h 06m |
| May | 6:01 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:43 AM | 10:00 PM | 10:55 PM | 11:42 PM | 16h 07m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:18 AM | 10:33 PM | 11:34 PM | 12:32 AM | 17h 17m |
| July | 5:46 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:36 AM | 10:26 PM | 11:24 PM | 12:16 AM | 16h 46m |
| August | 6:49 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:22 AM | 9:38 PM | 10:29 PM | 11:10 PM | 14h 58m |
| September | 7:52 AM | 8:28 AM | 9:16 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:49 PM | 12h 45m |
| October | 8:48 AM | 9:24 AM | 10:15 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:33 PM | 10h 33m |
| November | 8:46 AM | 9:27 AM | 10:27 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:34 PM | 8h 26m |
| December | 9:28 AM | 10:13 AM | 11:26 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:13 PM | 7h 15m |
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 | — | -1° | — |
| 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 4.5+ 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 82% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (89%). 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 | 42 | 42 | 43 | 45 | 57 | 57 | 62 | 63 | 61 | 52 | 49 | 46 |
| Low °F | 14 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 27 | 34 | 40 | 44 | 39 | 32 | 25 | 16 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.9 | 4.2 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.1 |
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 volcano
- Check local volcanic activity notices and area closures before visiting.
- 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.
- 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 Mount Roundtop, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Roundtop?
What time is golden hour at Mount Roundtop?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Roundtop?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Roundtop?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Roundtop?
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.