Anchorage: Midnight Sun, Polar Dark, and Everything Between

Anchorage sits at 61.2°N on Cook Inlet, ringed by the Chugach Mountains to the east and southeast. The latitude creates extreme seasonal variation: around the summer solstice, sunset falls past 11:30pm and golden light persists for over 90 minutes as the sun barely dips below the northern horizon. In mid-December, the sun rises at 10:14am and sets at 3:42pm, compressing the entire day into 5.5 hours of low-angle golden-quality light. Flattop Mountain trailhead, at 1,075 meters, gives a 360-degree panoramic view over Cook Inlet, Anchorage, and on clear days Denali (6,190 m) to the north. Earthquake Park along the inlet provides sea-level sunset angles over the famous bore tides. Potter Marsh, south of the city, offers still water for reflections of the Chugach peaks.