Mount Diablo — a mountain peak in Contra Costa County, California at about 1,173 m (3,848 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Diablo, about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) away (Mount Diablo lies NE of town).
Mount Diablo is a mountain of the Diablo Range, in Contra Costa County of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. It is south of Clayton and northeast of Danville. It is an isolated upthrust peak of 3,849 feet (1,173 meters), visible from most of the San Francisco Bay Area. Mount Diablo appears from many angles to be a double pyramid and has many subsidiary peaks. The largest and closest is North Peak, the other half of the double pyramid, which is nearly as high in elevation at 3,557 feet (1,084 m), and is about one mile (1.6 kilometers) northeast of the main summit. The mountain is within the boundaries of Mount Diablo State Park, which is administered by California State Parks.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Diablo”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Diablo 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 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) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 59° ENE | 8:34 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 120° ESE | 4:53 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 32m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 50m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 47m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 32m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:25 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 33m |
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 Mount Diablo, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 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 6 (bright 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 | 5:06 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:13 AM – 5:43 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:58 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 4:07 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:29 PM – 3:49 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:22 PM – 2:22 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:21 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:17 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:19 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.14 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 12% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (54%). 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 | 74 | 77 | 85 | 95 | 108 | 110 | 116 | 113 | 114 | 103 | 89 | 71 |
| Low °F | 22 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 39 | 43 | 49 | 50 | 46 | 38 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.6 |
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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Mount Diablo, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
State Park
Ghost Town
National Wildlife Refuge
Canyon
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Diablo?
What time is golden hour at Mount Diablo?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Diablo?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Diablo?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Diablo?
How far is Mount Diablo from Diablo?
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.