Located in Ventura County, California, Frazier Mountain is a mountain peak at about 2,442 m (8,012 ft) above sea level. It is part of Los Padres National Forest. It sits roughly 5.8 km (3.6 mi) SSW of Frazier Park.
Frazier Mountain (Samala: Toshololo) is a broad, pine-forested peak in the Transverse Ranges System, within the Los Padres National Forest in northeastern Ventura County, California. At 8,017 feet (2,444 m), Frazier Mountain is the sixteenth-highest mountain in the Transverse Ranges of Southern California.From the Wikipedia article “Frazier Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Frazier 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 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:44 AM | 61° ENE | 8:13 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:00 AM | 118° ESE | 4:49 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 49m |
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 | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:36 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 29m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:07 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:19 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 50m |
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 Frazier Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:34 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:48 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:47 AM – 4:47 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:51 PM – 4:11 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:58 PM – 3:48 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:53 PM – 2:23 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:18 PM – 12:28 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:30 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:46 PM – 8:26 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.68 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (42%). 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 | 84 | 87 | 93 | 99 | 109 | 110 | 107 | 112 | 101 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 24 | 25 | 26 | 30 | 36 | 42 | 50 | 51 | 43 | 35 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Frazier Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Hot Spring
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Chuchupate Campground3.2 km (2.0 mi) · reservable
- Mcgill Campground And Group Campground12.6 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Mt. Pinos Campground12.9 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
- Campo Alto Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Pyramid Lake - Los Alamos Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Frazier Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Frazier Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Frazier Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Frazier Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Frazier Mountain?
How far is Frazier Mountain from Frazier Park?
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.