Humphreys Peak is a mountain peak in Coconino County, Arizona at about 3,829 m (12,562 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 16.7 km (10.4 mi) N of Flagstaff.
Humphreys Peak (Hopi: Aaloosaktukwi, Navajo: Dookʼoʼoosłííd "its summit never melts") is the highest mountain and the second most prominent peak after Mount Graham in the U.S. state of Arizona. With an elevation of 12,637 feet (3,852 m), it is located within the Kachina Peaks Wilderness in the Coconino National Forest, about 11 miles (17.7 km) north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Humphreys Peak is the highest of a group of dormant volcanic peaks known as the San Francisco Peaks. Humphreys Peak was named in about 1870 for General Andrew A. Humphreys, a U.S. Army officer who was a Union general during the American Civil War, and who later became Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. However, a United States General Land Office map from 1903 showed the name San Francisco Peak applied to this feature (apparently borrowed from San Francisco Mountain on which the peak...From the Wikipedia article “Humphreys Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Humphreys Peak 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 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:31 AM | 90° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 60° ENE | 7:46 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:15 AM | 89° E | 6:25 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 119° ESE | 5:19 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 46m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 02m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:29 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:29 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:26 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:23 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:53 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:14 PM | 14h 32m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:12 PM | 14h 19m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 5:45 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:01 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:08 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:18 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 47m |
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 Humphreys Peak, 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 | 5:15 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:19 AM – 5:09 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:19 AM – 4:19 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:24 PM – 3:34 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:31 PM – 3:21 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:27 PM – 1:57 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:50 PM – 11:50 PM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:01 PM – 9:51 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:18 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.7 | 15° | 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 ≈ 21.35 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (54%). 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 | 69 | 73 | 84 | 90 | 101 | 106 | 106 | 104 | 102 | 91 | 80 | 71 |
| Low °F | 4 | 3 | 14 | 22 | 28 | 39 | 53 | 50 | 37 | 18 | 12 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
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 Humphreys Peak, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakMountain Peak
VolcanoVolcano
Volcano
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lockett Meadow Campground5.4 km (3.3 mi)
- Kendrick Cabin10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Little Elden Springs Horsecamp11.7 km (7.3 mi) · reservable
- Bonito Campground (Az)12.5 km (7.8 mi) · reservable
- Oleary Group Site13.3 km (8.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Humphreys Peak?
What time is golden hour at Humphreys Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Humphreys Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Humphreys Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Humphreys Peak?
How far is Humphreys Peak from Flagstaff?
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.