Located in Juneau City and Borough, Alaska, Nugget Falls is a waterfall. The nearest town is Juneau, about 15.5 km (9.6 mi) away (Nugget Falls lies NNW of town).
Nugget Falls, also known as Nugget Creek Falls or Mendenhall Glacier Falls, is a waterfall downstream of the Nugget Glacier, at the base of Bullard Mountain, in the U.S. state of Alaska. Formed by the creek from the Nugget Glacier, the waterfall drops 377 feet (115 m) in two tiers of 99 feet (30 m) and 278 feet (85 m) onto a sandbar in Mendenhall Lake, which is the freshwater pool at the face of the Mendenhall Glacier. The lake then drains via Mendenhall River into the Inside Passage. The waterfall is fed by Nugget Creek, which is in turn fed by the Nugget Glacier, a tributary glacier on the mountainside east of Auke Bay. The creek cascades down towards Mendenhall Lake, forming a hanging valley, then plunges over the falls to the lake. Prior to the recession of Mendenhall Glacier, it was said that the falls would drop "directly on the glacier", or that the "glacier covered the waterfall".From the Wikipedia article “Nugget Falls”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Nugget Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 322° (NW) in June to 223° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:51 AM | 39° NE | 10:10 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 88° E | 7:00 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:47 AM | 138° SE | 3:07 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 20m |
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 | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 9:57 AM | 2:19 PM | 3:41 PM | 4:31 PM | 7h 06m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 23m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:08 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:03 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 3:34 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:34 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:19 PM | 10:16 PM | 16h 48m |
| June | 2:32 AM | 3:51 AM | 5:04 AM | 8:55 PM | 10:08 PM | 11:27 PM | 18h 16m |
| July | 3:10 AM | 4:16 AM | 5:24 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:53 PM | 11:00 PM | 17h 37m |
| August | 4:33 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 26m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:48 AM | 9:00 AM | 2:27 PM | 3:39 PM | 4:25 PM | 7h 51m |
| December | 7:50 AM | 8:42 AM | 10:20 AM | 1:28 PM | 3:06 PM | 3:59 PM | 6h 24m |
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
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 | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.64 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 41 | 36 | 45 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 55 | 44 | 38 |
| Low °F | -27 | -22 | -19 | -3 | 10 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 27 | 1 | -19 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.0 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Nugget Falls, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
WaterfallScenic Viewpoint
Lake
Lake
Glacier
Lighthouse
Mountain PeakLighthouseCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mendenhall Campground2.0 km (1.3 mi) · reservable
- Sítʼ Yá Hítʼ Cabin3.1 km (1.9 mi) · reservable
- John Muir Cabin9.5 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Peterson Lake Cabin11.5 km (7.2 mi) · reservable
- Auk Village Campground11.6 km (7.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Nugget Falls?
What time is golden hour at Nugget Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Nugget Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Nugget Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Nugget Falls?
How far is Nugget Falls from Juneau?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, OpenStreetMap contributors, 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.