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 Rainier is one of the most dramatic volcanic peaks in North America, and its 4,392-meter summit creates its own weather system. The mountain generates persistent cloud and fog at lower elevations while the peak itself may be clear above, producing the classic "mountain in the clouds" compositions that define Rainier photography.
Reflection Lakes on the south side of the park is the signature fog photography location: on calm mornings the mountain reflects perfectly in the lakes while mist drifts across the meadows. Paradise and the Skyline Trail offer high-elevation positions where photographers can be inside or above the cloud layer. Sunrise on the northeast side gives a different angle with the Emmons Glacier face.
Late summer and early fall are the best seasons for fog, from August through October, when overnight cooling is sharpest and the meadows are still accessible before snow. The window between first light and 9am is usually the most productive before valley fog burns off or the mountain generates its own cloud cap.