El Cajon Mountain — a mountain peak in San Diego County, California at about 1,112 m (3,648 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 10.2 km (6.3 mi) NNW of Alpine.
El Cajon Mountain, commonly known as El Capitan or El Cap, is a mountain in the Cuyamaca Mountains, and prominent natural landmark in the East County of San Diego.From the Wikipedia article “El Cajon Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At El Cajon 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 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (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) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 61° ENE | 8:00 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:47 AM | 118° ESE | 4:45 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 59m |
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 | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:31 PM | 10h 13m |
| February | 6:06 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:58 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:43 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 51m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 19m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 07m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 5:52 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:54 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 28m |
| December | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:10 PM | 10h 00m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 El Cajon Mountain, 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 5 (suburban sky), 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 | 4:16 AM – 5:06 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:28 AM – 5:28 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:24 AM – 4:44 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:25 PM – 4:05 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:40 PM – 3:50 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:36 PM – 2:26 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:04 PM – 12:24 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:18 PM – 10:18 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:37 PM – 8:27 PM | 0.8 | 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.78 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and February 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 | 80 | 88 | 90 | 95 | 105 | 111 | 111 | 109 | 111 | 100 | 89 | 81 |
| Low °F | 24 | 24 | 31 | 31 | 37 | 43 | 53 | 50 | 45 | 36 | 27 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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 El Cajon Mountain, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Ghost Town
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph El Cajon Mountain?
What time is golden hour at El Cajon Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at El Cajon Mountain?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at El Cajon Mountain?
How far is El Cajon Mountain from Alpine?
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.