West and East Mitten Buttes is a mountain peak in Navajo County, Arizona at about 1,705 m (5,594 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Kayenta, about 33 km (20 mi) away (West and East Mitten Buttes lies NNE of town).
The West and East Mitten Buttes (also known as the Mittens) are two buttes in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in northeast Navajo County, Arizona. When viewed from the south, the buttes appear to be two giant mittens with their thumbs facing inwards. The Mittens are about 0.6 mi (0.97 km) from the Arizona–Utah state line and West Mitten Butte is 1.1 mi (1.8 km) northeast of the park headquarters. The summit of West Mitten Butte is 6,176 ft (1,882 m) and East Mitten Butte is 6,226 ft (1,898 m) in elevation. The Mittens form a triangle with Merrick Butte about 2⁄3 mi (1.1 km) to the south and, with Sentinel Mesa, a more extensive plateau, towards the northwest. At the end of March and mid-September, for a few days only at sunset, the Mitten Shadow occurs, when the West Mitten shadow appears on the East Mitten. The buttes are made of three principal rock layers. The lowest layer...From the Wikipedia article “West and East Mitten Buttes”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At West and East Mitten Buttes 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:25 AM | 90° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:02 AM | 60° ENE | 8:44 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 119° ESE | 5:08 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 37m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:44 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 41m |
| July | 5:43 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 38m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 West and East Mitten Buttes, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:18 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:17 AM – 5:07 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:25 AM – 4:25 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:34 PM – 4:04 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:28 PM – 2:38 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 12:39 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 10:37 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:11 PM – 8:41 PM | 0.5 | 14° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 27% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (50%). 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 | 60 | 66 | 77 | 84 | 94 | 101 | 101 | 99 | 96 | 85 | 76 | 61 |
| Low °F | -1 | -4 | 11 | 18 | 23 | 35 | 51 | 49 | 31 | 12 | 10 | 4 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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 West and East Mitten Buttes, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Rock Formation
Rock Formation
Rock Formation
Rock FormationScenic Viewpoint
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Rock FormationFAQ
When is the best time to photograph West and East Mitten Buttes?
What time is golden hour at West and East Mitten Buttes?
Where does the sun rise and set at West and East Mitten Buttes?
Can you see the Milky Way from West and East Mitten Buttes?
Do you need a permit to photograph at West and East Mitten Buttes?
How far is West and East Mitten Buttes from Kayenta?
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.