Located in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, Prindle Volcano is a volcano.
Prindle Volcano is an isolated basaltic cinder cone located in eastern Alaska, United States, in the headwaters of the East Fork of the Fortymile River, approximately 80 kilometers northeast of Tok, Alaska. The cone is fresh-looking and has a base approximately 900 metres (980 yards) wide. It is the northwesternmost expression of the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province. The cinder cone, and an approximately 11-kilometre (6.8-mile) long lava flow which breached the margin of the cone, erupted in the Pleistocene approximately 176,000 years ago. The lava flow extends to the southeast, then turns southwest and continues in a river valley. Rocks forming the Prindle Volcano occur within, and penetrated through, the Yukon–Tanana upland which is a large region of mostly Paleozoic-Mesozoic metamorphosed and deformed sedimentary, volcanic, and intrusive rocks that are intruded by younger...From the Wikipedia article “Prindle Volcano”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Prindle Volcano the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 22° (NNE) at the June solstice and 151° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 338° (NNW) in June to 210° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 50° in summer but only 3° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:42 PM | 272° W | 26° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:05 AM | 22° NNE | 11:53 PM | 338° NNW | 50° | 20h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:11 AM | 88° E | 7:29 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 19m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:15 AM | 151° SSE | 2:36 PM | 210° SSW | 3° | 4h 21m |
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 | 8:44 AM | 9:49 AM | — | — | 3:24 PM | 4:29 PM | 5h 35m |
| February | 7:30 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:37 AM | 3:46 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:53 PM | 8h 42m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:48 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:27 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 42m |
| April | 5:02 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:52 PM | 15h 01m |
| May | 2:41 AM | 4:17 AM | 5:38 AM | 9:09 PM | 10:31 PM | 12:07 AM | 18h 14m |
| June | — | 3:07 AM | 4:56 AM | 10:00 PM | 11:49 PM | — | 20h 43m |
| July | — | 3:48 AM | 5:21 AM | 9:45 PM | 11:18 PM | — | 19h 31m |
| August | 4:18 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:42 PM | 10:45 PM | 16h 20m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 03m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:16 AM | 9:25 AM | 5:01 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:57 PM | 9h 53m |
| November | 7:54 AM | 8:53 AM | 10:45 AM | 1:39 PM | 3:32 PM | 4:30 PM | 6h 39m |
| December | 8:54 AM | 10:09 AM | — | — | 2:36 PM | 3:51 PM | 4h 27m |
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
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
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 0.0+ 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 50% average cloud cover) and October as the cloudiest (78%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 36 | 33 | 36 | 55 | 74 | 79 | 75 | 75 | 64 | 54 | 33 | 34 |
| Low °F | -53 | -51 | -51 | -22 | -4 | 23 | 32 | 24 | 10 | -20 | -45 | -48 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
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
- Long lenses from 20–60 miles away make large stratovolcanoes dominate the horizon.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Prindle Volcano?
What time is golden hour at Prindle Volcano?
Where does the sun rise and set at Prindle Volcano?
Can you see the Milky Way from Prindle Volcano?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Prindle Volcano?
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.