Located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Mount Wrightson is a mountain peak at about 2,853 m (9,360 ft) above sea level. It is part of Mount Wrightson Wilderness. The nearest town is Arivaca Junction, about 20 km (13 mi) away (Mount Wrightson lies E of town).
Mount Wrightson (O'odham: Ce:wi Duag) is a 9,456-foot (2,882 m) peak in the Santa Rita Mountains within the Coronado National Forest, in southern Arizona, United States. It was renamed from its original O'odham name: Ce:wi Duag for William Wrightson, a miner and entrepreneur in the region killed by Apaches in the 1865 Battle of Fort Buchanan.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Wrightson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Wrightson the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 82° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:28 AM | 90° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 62° ENE | 7:33 PM | 299° WNW | 82° | 14h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:12 AM | 89° E | 6:22 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 117° ESE | 5:25 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 05m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 18m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 05m |
| March | 6:10 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:07 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:30 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 12h 57m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:40 PM | 13h 46m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:19 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:59 PM | 14h 12m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:58 PM | 14h 01m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 13h 19m |
| September | 5:44 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:55 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:03 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:00 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:17 PM | 11h 25m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 33m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 06m |
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 Wrightson, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:03 AM – 5:03 AM | 2.0 | 26° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:57 AM – 4:27 AM | 3.5 | 29° | SE → S |
| May | 10:57 PM – 3:47 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:10 PM – 3:30 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:07 PM – 2:07 AM | 5.0 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 3.5 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 7:52 PM – 10:02 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:13 PM – 8:03 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.43 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (62%). June 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 | 86 | 95 | 104 | 109 | 105 | 103 | 100 | 95 | 86 | 78 |
| Low °F | 17 | 11 | 22 | 31 | 36 | 49 | 59 | 59 | 49 | 28 | 20 | 19 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
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.
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 Mount Wrightson, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Cave
Ghost Town
Canyon
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
State Park
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Kent Springs Cabin3.4 km (2.1 mi) · reservable
- Kentucky Camp Cabin And Headquarters Building11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Wrightson?
What time is golden hour at Mount Wrightson?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Wrightson?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Wrightson?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Wrightson?
How far is Mount Wrightson from Arivaca Junction?
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.