Leavitt Peak is a mountain peak in Tuolumne County, California at about 3,516 m (11,535 ft) above sea level. It is part of Stanislaus National Forest. It sits roughly 52 km (32 mi) SSW of Topaz Ranch Estates.
Leavitt Peak is located in the Emigrant Wilderness near Sonora Pass in the eastern Sierra Nevada range of California. Leavitt Peak is located on the Tuolumne County - Mono County line. The Pacific Crest Trail runs close to the east of Leavitt Peak, at an elevation of about 10,800 feet (3,290 m) elevation. The peak offers views south to Yosemite National Park and north towards South Lake Tahoe. Leavitt Peak is named for Hiram Leavitt, a native of New Hampshire and an early judge in Mono County. He built a hotel and home in 1863 at the foot of the east end of Sonora Pass to serve the growing number of travelers between Sonora and Aurora, primarily miners headed to the gold mines at nearby Bodie. Leavitt also erected a stagecoach station at what is called Leavitt Station. Leavitt Peak is a popular hiking destination. Leavitt Lake and Leavitt Meadow are nearby along the West Walker River...From the Wikipedia article “Leavitt Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Leavitt Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 59° ENE | 8:26 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 120° ESE | 4:42 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 30m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 48m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 15m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 49m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 35m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 40m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:16 PM | 10h 07m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 31m |
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 Leavitt Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:57 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:04 AM – 5:34 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 4:39 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:09 AM – 3:59 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:21 PM – 3:31 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:14 PM – 2:14 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:12 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 10:08 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:50 PM – 8:10 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.67 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 61 | 66 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 94 | 98 | 93 | 92 | 83 | 71 | 62 |
| Low °F | -3 | -6 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 22 | 37 | 34 | 23 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
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
- 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 Leavitt Peak, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Scenic Viewpoint
WaterfallScenic ViewpointWaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Deadman Campground9.2 km (5.7 mi)
- Baker Campground10.1 km (6.3 mi)
- Leavitt Meadows10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Eureka Valley Campground12.8 km (7.9 mi)
- Pigeon Flat Campground14.6 km (9.1 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Leavitt Peak?
What time is golden hour at Leavitt Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Leavitt Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Leavitt Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Leavitt Peak?
How far is Leavitt Peak from Topaz Ranch Estates?
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.