Located in Lewis County, Washington, Goat Rocks Wilderness is a wilderness area. It is part of Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The nearest town is Tieton, about 57 km (36 mi) away (Goat Rocks Wilderness lies WSW of town).
Goat Rocks Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in Washington, United States, comprising 108,096 acres (43,745 ha) of Okanagan–Wenatchee National Forest and Gifford Pinchot National Forest on the crest of the Cascade Range south of U.S. Highway 12. Its central feature is a number of rugged peaks, the Goat Rocks, that are named after the numerous mountain goats that live in the area. Extinct for some two million years, a volcano with an elevation of 12,000 feet (3,700 m) once dominated this landscape. The eroded remnant of this volcano consists of rugged peaks that average over 7,000 feet (2,100 m) elevation. The highest point among them is Gilbert Peak, at 8,184 feet (2,494 m) with a prominence of 3,664 feet (1,117 m). On the shaded northern slopes of the major peaks are the Packwood, McCall, Conrad, and Meade glaciers. The wilderness is drained by the North and South Forks of the...From the Wikipedia article “Goat Rocks Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Goat Rocks Wilderness the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 54° NE | 9:03 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 124° SE | 4:22 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 34m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 59m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 21m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 00m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:13 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 48m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 28m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 12m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 25m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 36m |
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 Goat Rocks Wilderness, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:23 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:25 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:20 AM – 3:10 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 2:20 AM | 2.5 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:28 PM – 1:08 AM | 1.7 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 11:07 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:03 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.6 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 29% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 55 | 54 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 92 | 81 | 59 | 47 |
| Low °F | -12 | -9 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 37 | 27 | 14 | -11 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 6.7 |
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 wilderness area
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Goat Rocks Wilderness, closest first.
Mountain PeakGlacierGlacier
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Natural ArchWaterfall
Mountain PassWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Walupt Lake Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- White Pass Lake (Leech Lake) Campground15.7 km (9.8 mi)
- Dog Lake Campground17.4 km (10.8 mi)
- Clear Lake Group Site19.4 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
- La Wis Wis Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Goat Rocks Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Goat Rocks Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Goat Rocks Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Goat Rocks Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Goat Rocks Wilderness?
How far is Goat Rocks Wilderness from Tieton?
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.