Boundary Cone — a mountain peak in Mohave County, Arizona at about 1,012 m (3,320 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Mohave Valley, about 16.7 km (10.4 mi) away (Boundary Cone lies ENE of town).
Boundary Cone is a geologic promontory located in the western foothills of the Black Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona. The peak is to the east of the Mohave Valley, northeast of Needles, California, and southeast of Bullhead City. The peak is about 4 miles (6 km) southwest of the mountain community of Oatman and 12 miles (19 km) east of the Colorado River.From the Wikipedia article “Boundary Cone”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Boundary Cone the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:42 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 60° ENE | 7:56 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:26 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 119° ESE | 5:31 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 48m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:18 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 04m |
| February | 6:59 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:36 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:03 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 17m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:33 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:12 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:19 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 49m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Boundary Cone, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:16 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.7 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:30 AM – 5:20 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:30 AM – 4:30 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:34 PM – 3:54 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:41 PM – 3:31 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:36 PM – 2:06 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:01 PM – 12:01 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:12 PM – 10:02 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:08 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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 ≈ 21.59 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 16% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (41%). July 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 | 87 | 88 | 97 | 103 | 111 | 120 | 121 | 118 | 116 | 106 | 94 | 82 |
| Low °F | 24 | 23 | 32 | 37 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 65 | 53 | 37 | 28 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
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 mountain peak
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Boundary Cone, closest first.
Ghost Town
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Pass
Wilderness Area
Natural ArchNatural ArchCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Boundary Cone?
What time is golden hour at Boundary Cone?
Where does the sun rise and set at Boundary Cone?
Can you see the Milky Way from Boundary Cone?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Boundary Cone?
How far is Boundary Cone from Mohave Valley?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.