Chuck River Wilderness is a wilderness area in Petersburg Borough, Alaska. It is part of Tongass National Forest. It sits roughly 118 km (73 mi) SE of Juneau.
Chuck River Wilderness is a 74,298-acre (30,067 ha) wilderness area located within the Tongass National Forest in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was designated by the United States Congress in 1990. Located at the head of Windham Bay, Chuck River Wilderness is adjacent to the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. The Chuck River flows northward from its headwaters near Port Houghton through dense forest with thick vegetation before emptying into Windham Bay where the historic Chuck Mining Camp operated until the 1920s. There is private land in the lower river and in portions of the bay where there was once a small settlement.From the Wikipedia article “Chuck River Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Chuck River Wilderness the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 41° (NE) at the June solstice and 136° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 320° (NW) in June to 224° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 56° in summer but only 9° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 32° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:55 AM | 41° NE | 9:56 PM | 320° NW | 56° | 18h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 88° E | 6:54 PM | 272° W | 33° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:34 AM | 136° SE | 3:09 PM | 224° SW | 9° | 6h 36m |
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
Wilderness areas reward those who camp: being on location at sunrise and in the dark is the main advantage over day visitors.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:36 AM | 8:23 AM | 9:40 AM | 2:25 PM | 3:42 PM | 4:29 PM | 7h 19m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 29m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 47m |
| April | 5:01 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 19m |
| May | 3:38 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:32 AM | 8:07 PM | 9:08 PM | 10:02 PM | 16h 36m |
| June | 2:44 AM | 3:55 AM | 5:03 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:53 PM | 11:04 PM | 17h 59m |
| July | 3:16 AM | 4:18 AM | 5:23 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:40 PM | 10:42 PM | 17h 22m |
| August | 4:33 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 18m |
| September | 5:45 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 50m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 23m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:46 AM | 2:30 PM | 3:39 PM | 4:23 PM | 8h 02m |
| December | 7:39 AM | 8:29 AM | 9:58 AM | 1:39 PM | 3:08 PM | 3:58 PM | 6h 39m |
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 | — | -10° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 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 1.0+ 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 (79%). July 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 | 48 | 46 | 62 | 68 | 71 | 82 | 80 | 81 | 73 | 62 | 50 | 45 |
| Low °F | -9 | -2 | -5 | 13 | 26 | 38 | 42 | 44 | 36 | 17 | 0 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.8 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 6.2 | 8.3 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 10.2 | 9.9 |
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 wilderness area
- Pack weight matters: a single zoom and a light tripod cover most situations.
- Night skies are often among the darkest in the country.
- Motorized and mechanized equipment, including drones, is prohibited in designated wilderness.
- Group size limits and permits may apply; check with the managing agency.
- Practice Leave No Trace — camp on durable surfaces away from lakes and streams.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Most high wilderness is snow-free from July to September; lower deserts are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Lightweight tripod, Spare batteries, Headlamp, Navigation. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Chuck River Wilderness, closest first.
Lighthouse
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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.