Kendrick Peak — a mountain peak in Coconino County, Arizona at about 3,168 m (10,394 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Kendrick Mountain Wilderness. The nearest town is Parks, about 18.7 km (11.6 mi) away (Kendrick Peak lies NNE of town).
Kendrick Peak or Kendrick Mountain is one of the highest peaks in the San Francisco volcanic field north of the city of Flagstaff in the U.S. state of Arizona and is located on the Coconino Plateau in Coconino County. Kendrick Peak rises to a height of 10,425 feet (3,178 m), which makes it the 11th or 12th tallest summit (depending on the source) in Arizona. Kendrick Peak is a lava dome between 2.7 and 1.4 million years old consisting primarily of dacite and rhyolite flows that were partly buried by andesite according to the USGS. Kendrick Peak is in the Kendrick Mountain Wilderness which is administered jointly by the Kaibab National Forest and the Coconino National Forest. A fire lookout, staffed by the United States Forest Service during the week and by volunteers on the weekends, has stood on top of Kendrick Peak since the early 1900s. There are three maintained trails to the...From the Wikipedia article “Kendrick Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kendrick 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) | 6:32 AM | 90° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 60° ENE | 7:46 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:16 AM | 89° E | 6:26 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 | 7:09 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 02m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:29 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:30 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:27 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 14h 32m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 14h 19m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 5:45 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:02 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:09 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:09 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:19 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 7:02 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:17 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 Kendrick 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:20 AM – 5:10 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:20 AM – 4:20 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:25 PM – 3:35 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:33 PM – 3:23 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:28 PM – 1:58 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:51 PM – 11:51 PM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:02 PM – 9:52 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:18 PM – 7:48 PM | 0.5 | 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.7 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
- 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.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Kendrick Peak, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Mountain PeakMountain Peak
Canyon
Fire Lookout
VolcanoCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Kendrick Cabin10.4 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Spring Valley Cabin & Bunkhouse11.3 km (7.0 mi) · reservable
- Lockett Meadow Campground22 km (13 mi)
- Bonito Campground (Az)28 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Little Elden Springs Horsecamp29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kendrick Peak?
What time is golden hour at Kendrick Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kendrick Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kendrick Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kendrick Peak?
How far is Kendrick Peak from Parks?
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.