Piestewa Peak is a mountain peak in Maricopa County, Arizona at about 794 m (2,605 ft) above sea level. It is part of Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The nearest town is Paradise Valley, about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) away (Piestewa Peak lies WNW of town).
Piestewa Peak ( py-ES-tə-wah; O'odham: Vainom Do'ag, formerly Squaw Peak), at 2,610 feet (796 m) is the second highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, after Camelback Mountain, and the third highest in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It is located in the Piestewa Peak Recreation Area within the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, near Piestewa Freeway (Arizona State Highway 51). Piestewa Peak is named in honor of Army Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa, the first known Native American woman to die in combat in the U.S. military, and the first female soldier to be killed in action in the 2003 Iraq War.From the Wikipedia article “Piestewa Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Piestewa Peak 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 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:33 AM | 90° E | 6:40 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 61° ENE | 7:42 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:17 AM | 89° E | 6:26 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 118° ESE | 5:25 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 55m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:15 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:33 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:32 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:25 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:18 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:09 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:42 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 5:47 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:01 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 5:22 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:21 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 56m |
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 Piestewa Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:09 AM – 5:09 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:06 AM – 4:26 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:08 PM – 3:48 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:23 PM – 3:33 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:19 PM – 2:09 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:46 PM – 12:06 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:18 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.7 | 17° | 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.49 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 18% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (43%). 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 | 85 | 87 | 98 | 105 | 112 | 121 | 120 | 117 | 115 | 106 | 97 | 85 |
| Low °F | 22 | 23 | 33 | 38 | 48 | 60 | 68 | 67 | 57 | 41 | 29 | 27 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Piestewa Peak, closest first.
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Natural Arch
Mountain Peak
Botanical GardenNatural ArchScenic Viewpoint
Lake
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Piestewa Peak?
What time is golden hour at Piestewa Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Piestewa Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Piestewa Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Piestewa Peak?
How far is Piestewa Peak from Paradise Valley?
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.