Mount Lemmon is a mountain peak in Pima County, Arizona at about 2,783 m (9,131 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 14.3 km (8.9 mi) ESE of Catalina.
Mount Lemmon is a 9,171 ft (2,795 m) mountain in the Santa Catalina Mountains of the US state of Arizona, the highest in the range. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who trekked to the top of the mountain with her husband and E. O. Stratton, a local rancher, by horse and foot in 1881. Mount Lemmon is also known as Babad Do'ag, or Frog Mountain to the Tohono O'odham. It is home to the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Lemmon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Lemmon 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 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:28 AM | 90° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 61° ENE | 7:34 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:12 AM | 89° E | 6:21 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 118° ESE | 5:23 PM | 243° WSW | 34° | 10h 01m |
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 | 6:59 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 15m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 03m |
| March | 6:10 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:07 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:29 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:27 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 13h 49m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:01 PM | 14h 16m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 14h 05m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:35 PM | 13h 21m |
| September | 5:43 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:55 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:01 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:16 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 30m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 02m |
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 Mount Lemmon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 29° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:03 AM – 5:03 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:59 AM – 4:19 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 10:59 PM – 3:49 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:14 PM – 3:34 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:10 PM – 2:00 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:38 PM – 11:58 PM | 3.3 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 7:53 PM – 10:03 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:13 PM – 8:03 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.52 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 21% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (56%). 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 | 76 | 83 | 90 | 97 | 106 | 111 | 108 | 107 | 104 | 98 | 89 | 77 |
| Low °F | 18 | 15 | 22 | 32 | 38 | 49 | 64 | 61 | 49 | 30 | 20 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Mount Lemmon, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Wilderness Area
Canyon
Natural Arch
Scenic Viewpoint
WaterfallWaterfallScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Whitetail Campground6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Showers Point Group Site7.5 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin7.8 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
- Sollers Cabin (Az)8.6 km (5.4 mi) · reservable
- Rose Canyon10.6 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Lemmon?
What time is golden hour at Mount Lemmon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Lemmon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Lemmon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Lemmon?
How far is Mount Lemmon from Catalina?
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.