Middle Palisade is a mountain peak in Fresno County, California at about 4,124 m (13,530 ft) above sea level. It is part of Kings Canyon National Park. It sits roughly 19.0 km (11.8 mi) WSW of Big Pine.
Middle Palisade is a 14,018-foot (4,273-meter) peak in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range in the U.S. state of California. It is a fourteener, and lies on the Sierra Crest as part of the Palisades group, a group of prominent Sierra Nevada mountain summits that includes multiple other fourteeners, approximately 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the town of Big Pine. Middle Palisade is the twelfth highest peak in California. Middle Palisade's eastern flank hosts the Middle Palisade Glacier, lying above the South Fork of Big Pine Creek. To Middle Palisade's west lie the Palisade Lakes, Palisade Creek, and the John Muir Trail as it ascends south towards Mather Pass. Several routes involving exposed scrambling class 3 and/or easy technical rock climbing (class 4) exist on the various flanks of Middle Palisade. Some routes involve travel on the Middle Palisade Glacier. The easiest route...From the Wikipedia article “Middle Palisade”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Middle Palisade 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 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 60° ENE | 8:18 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:04 AM | 119° ESE | 4:41 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 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 | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 42m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 36m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 38m |
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 Middle Palisade, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:12 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:58 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:51 AM – 4:41 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 11:59 PM – 3:59 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:08 PM – 3:38 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:02 PM – 2:12 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:23 PM – 12:13 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:31 PM – 10:11 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:45 PM – 8:15 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 21% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 53 | 60 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 78 | 68 | 55 |
| Low °F | -14 | -12 | -14 | -3 | 12 | 20 | 35 | 31 | 20 | 9 | -7 | -16 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.9 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Middle Palisade, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Upper Sage Flat6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Big Pine Creek Campground6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Big Pine Canyon7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
- Table Mountain (Inyo)17.7 km (11.0 mi) · reservable
- Goodale Creek Campground19.3 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Middle Palisade?
What time is golden hour at Middle Palisade?
Where does the sun rise and set at Middle Palisade?
Can you see the Milky Way from Middle Palisade?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Middle Palisade?
How far is Middle Palisade from Big Pine?
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.