East Molokai Volcano — a volcano in Maui County, Hawaii at about 1,512 m (4,961 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Waialua, about 8.2 km (5.1 mi) away (East Molokai Volcano lies W of town).
The East Molokaʻi Volcano, sometimes also known as Wailau for the Wailau valley on its north side, is an extinct shield volcano comprising the eastern two-thirds of the island of Molokaʻi in the U.S. state of Hawaii.From the Wikipedia article “East Molokaʻi Volcano”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At East Molokai Volcano the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 88° in summer but only 45° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:32 AM | 90° E | 6:39 PM | 270° W | 69° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 64° ENE | 7:12 PM | 296° WNW | 88° | 13h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:17 AM | 89° E | 6:25 PM | 271° W | 69° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:01 AM | 115° ESE | 5:52 PM | 245° WSW | 45° | 10h 51m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 59m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 28m |
| March | 6:14 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:00 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:10 PM | 12h 38m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:28 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:23 PM | 13h 09m |
| June | 5:22 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:36 PM | 13h 25m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:27 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:37 PM | 13h 18m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:28 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 51m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:54 PM | 12h 16m |
| October | 6:01 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:26 PM | 11h 40m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:10 PM | 11h 08m |
| December | 6:34 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 51m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), 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 East Molokai Volcano, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 40° 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 | 4:11 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.5 | 26° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:21 AM – 5:21 AM | 3.0 | 37° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:23 AM – 4:43 AM | 4.3 | 40° | SE → S |
| May | 10:19 PM – 4:19 AM | 6.0 | 40° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:35 PM – 4:15 AM | 7.7 | 40° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:35 PM – 2:55 AM | 6.3 | 40° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:16 PM – 12:46 AM | 4.5 | 40° | S → SW |
| September | 7:45 PM – 10:45 PM | 3.0 | 37° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:18 PM – 8:48 PM | 1.5 | 27° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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 ≈ 21.52 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 51% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (67%). September is the warmest month and February 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 | 78 | 78 | 79 | 78 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 80 |
| Low °F | 66 | 65 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 73 | 73 | 71 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 |
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 East Molokai Volcano, closest first.
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When is the best time to photograph East Molokai Volcano?
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How far is East Molokai Volcano from Waialua?
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.