Located in Multnomah County, Oregon, Mount Tabor is a volcano. It is part of Mount Tabor Park. The nearest town is Lents, about 4.1 km (2.5 mi) away (Mount Tabor lies NNW of town).
Mount Tabor is an extinct volcanic vent with a city park on the volcano, located in Portland, Oregon's neighborhood of the same name. The name refers to Mount Tabor, Israel. It was named by Plympton Kelly, son of Oregon City pioneer resident Clinton Kelly.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Tabor (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Tabor the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (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) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 55° NE | 9:04 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 124° SE | 4:30 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:14 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Mount Tabor, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:38 PM – 2:38 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:21 PM – 1:21 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.49 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August 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 | 62 | 66 | 74 | 84 | 93 | 100 | 105 | 104 | 101 | 87 | 67 | 61 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 45 | 44 | 36 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Tabor, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Botanical Garden
BeachBeach
Botanical Garden
Covered Bridge
Mountain Peak
Scenic Viewpoint
Rock FormationFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Tabor?
What time is golden hour at Mount Tabor?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Tabor?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Tabor?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Tabor?
How far is Mount Tabor from Lents?
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.