Mingus Mountain is a mountain peak in Yavapai County, Arizona at about 2,355 m (7,726 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Clarkdale, about 10.7 km (6.6 mi) away (Mingus Mountain lies SW of town).
Mingus Mountain (Yavapai: Hwa:lkyañaña) is a mountain located in the U.S. state of Arizona in the Black Hills mountain range. It is located within the Prescott National Forest traversed by State Route 89A approximately midway between Cottonwood and Prescott. The summit can be reached via Forest Service roads that branch off from State Route 89A. From the mountain, there are views of the Verde Valley, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness and the towns of Cottonwood, Jerome, and Clarkdale. The Woodchute Wilderness, north of the highest point of 89A, also offers views and hiking trails. There are several National Forest campgrounds in the area and it is the transmitter location for Prescott full-service television station KAZT-TV and several low-power television stations serving Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Camp Verde and Prescott Valley. Mingus Mountain is also the premier flying site of the Arizona...From the Wikipedia article “Mingus Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mingus Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:33 AM | 90° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 61° ENE | 7:46 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:17 AM | 89° E | 6:27 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 118° ESE | 5:22 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 50m |
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 | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:15 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:31 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:53 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:12 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 5:47 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:02 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:20 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 51m |
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 Mingus Mountain, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:21 AM – 5:11 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:20 AM – 4:20 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:24 PM – 3:44 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:31 PM – 3:21 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:26 PM – 1:56 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:51 PM – 12:01 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:03 PM – 9:53 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:19 PM – 7:59 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.03 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (45%). 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 | 72 | 75 | 84 | 91 | 99 | 109 | 107 | 105 | 103 | 94 | 83 | 73 |
| Low °F | 2 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 33 | 43 | 54 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 20 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Mingus Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Wilderness Area
State Park
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mingus Mountain Campground And Group Site680 m · reservable
- Playground Group908 m · reservable
- Potato Patch Campground2.9 km (1.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mingus Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Mingus Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mingus Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mingus Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mingus Mountain?
How far is Mingus Mountain from Clarkdale?
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.