Mount Hood is a mountain peak in Sonoma County, California at about 812 m (2,664 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 5.2 km (3.2 mi) N of Kenwood.
Mount Hood, also known as Hood Mountain, is a mountain near the southeastern edge of Santa Rosa, California, at the northeast of the Sonoma Valley and attains a height of 2,733 feet (833 m). The original name was Mount Wilikos, an Indian name meaning "willows." Most of the drainage from Mount Hood contributes to the headwaters of Sonoma Creek. A prominent feature is the extensive rock face visible on the upper half of the mountain as viewed from State Route 12. The habitats on the mountain include mixed oak forest, pygmy forest, chaparral and riparian zones. In prehistoric times the slopes of Mount Hood were inhabited by a division of the Yuki tribe. Most of Mount Hood is within the Hood Mountain Regional Park maintained by Sonoma County. Mount Hood is part of the inner coast Mayacamas Range, and lies mostly within Sonoma County, with a part of the mountain geographically...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Hood (California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Hood 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) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 59° ENE | 8:38 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 51m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 120° ESE | 4:53 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 29m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 47m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:30 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 16m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 50m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 35m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 40m |
| September | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:20 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 06m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 30m |
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 Hood, 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 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:21 AM – 4:51 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 4:02 AM | 3.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:34 PM – 3:44 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:27 PM – 2:17 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:21 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: 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 ≈ 20.02 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 19% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 87 | 100 | 106 | 109 | 107 | 112 | 103 | 87 | 71 |
| Low °F | 25 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 35 | 42 | 48 | 48 | 45 | 37 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 6.2 |
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 Mount Hood, closest first.
State Park
State Park
State Park
Botanical Garden
State Park
State Park
Botanical Garden
Waterfall
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Hood?
What time is golden hour at Mount Hood?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Hood?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Hood?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Hood?
How far is Mount Hood from Kenwood?
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.