What the app shows you
Full FogCast score, fog type, chase-or-skip verdict, and 10-day outlook — all in the app.
Get LightCast Suite on iOS
Know before you drive: FogCast checks the conditions that produce photogenic fog
Get more than a snapshot of current conditions. The LightCast app unlocks everything to plan ahead
Humidity alone isn't enough. Wind alone isn't enough. Cloud cover alone isn't enough. Photogenic valley fog requires several conditions to line up at once, and most weather apps don't read them together.
Set a FogCast threshold once. The app will alert you when conditions at your saved locations look promising, so you're not manually checking at 4am.
Don't waste a sunrise drive. Check FogCast before you leave.
Download on the App StoreMount Hood rises to 3,429 meters above the Columbia River Gorge and the Willamette Valley, and its elevated position produces a range of fog and cloud conditions across seasons. The Sandy River valley to the west and the Hood River Valley to the east both see radiation fog in fall and winter, with the mountain rising above the cloud on calm mornings to produce the classic volcano-above-fog composition.
Trillium Lake is the most photographed fog location on Mount Hood: on foggy mornings the lake reflects the mountain above while mist drifts across the water surface. The Mirror Lake trail offers a similar composition at a slightly higher elevation. The Lolo Pass viewpoint gives a wider angle looking south along the foggy valley with the peak in the background.
Fall is the best season, from September through November, when the Sandy and Hood River valleys fill with radiation fog on clear, calm nights. The window before 9am is most productive. Hood's summit is often clear above the fog ceiling, making the contrast between the misty valleys and the snowy peak particularly striking.