Located in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, Big Goat Lake Falls is a waterfall at about 558 m (1,831 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Ketchikan, about 68 km (42 mi) away (Big Goat Lake Falls lies ENE of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Goat Lake Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 44° (NE) at the June solstice and 133° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 317° (NW) in June to 227° (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) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 34° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:00 AM | 44° NE | 9:30 PM | 317° NW | 58° | 17h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 88° E | 6:43 PM | 272° W | 35° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:10 AM | 133° SE | 3:13 PM | 227° SW | 11° | 7h 03m |
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
Waterfalls photograph best in soft, even light: overcast days, deep shade, or the hour after sunrise before direct sun hits the water. Bright sun on white water blows highlights and adds harsh contrast.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 9:10 AM | 2:35 PM | 3:43 PM | 4:27 PM | 7h 42m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 7:07 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 41m |
| March | 6:22 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 48m |
| April | 4:59 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 09m |
| May | 3:44 AM | 4:33 AM | 5:29 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:36 PM | 16h 14m |
| June | 3:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 5:03 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:28 PM | 10:28 PM | 17h 28m |
| July | 3:27 AM | 4:21 AM | 5:21 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:17 PM | 10:11 PM | 16h 56m |
| August | 4:34 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:20 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 03m |
| September | 5:38 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:13 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 46m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 30m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:20 AM | 2:36 PM | 3:38 PM | 4:20 PM | 8h 20m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 8:06 AM | 9:22 AM | 1:55 PM | 3:11 PM | 3:58 PM | 7h 06m |
Local time (America/Juneau), 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 | — | -10° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| 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 1.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show February as the clearest month (about 71% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (82%). July 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 | 41 | 39 | 57 | 64 | 74 | 90 | 90 | 82 | 80 | 66 | 50 | 44 |
| Low °F | -29 | -18 | -13 | -2 | 13 | 35 | 41 | 40 | 30 | 11 | -16 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 14.5 | 9.8 | 9.8 | 8.1 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 13.4 | 15.3 | 14.7 | 13.0 |
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 waterfall
- Shoot a vertical and a horizontal frame; tall falls often work better in portrait orientation.
- Use 1/4 to 1 second for a silky look; 1/500 s or faster freezes individual drops.
- A circular polarizer cuts glare on wet rocks and leaves and deepens greens — rotate it while watching the rocks, not the sky.
- Spring snowmelt and the days after heavy rain give the strongest flow; late summer flow can drop to a trickle.
- Look for a foreground: a mossy boulder, a fallen log or the creek's leading lines make a stronger frame than the falls alone.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Peak flow is usually in late spring; autumn adds color around the falls, and winter can bring ice formations at colder locations.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, 3–6 stop ND filter, Lens cloth, Waterproof footwear. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Wilson View Cabin5.9 km (3.6 mi) · reservable
- Wilson Narrows Cabin6.6 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- Checats Lake Cabin13.7 km (8.5 mi) · reservable
- Winstanley Lake Cabin17.0 km (10.6 mi) · reservable
- Winstanley Island Cabin19.7 km (12.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
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Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.