Located in Los Angeles County, California, Mount Lukens is a mountain peak at about 1,544 m (5,066 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is La Crescenta-Montrose, about 4.1 km (2.5 mi) away (Mount Lukens lies N of town).
Mount Lukens is a mountain peak of the San Gabriel Mountains, in Los Angeles County, California. It is the highest point in the city of Los Angeles.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Lukens”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Lukens 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) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 61° ENE | 8:09 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:56 AM | 118° ESE | 4:48 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 52m |
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 | 6:32 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 07m |
| February | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 5:12 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 26m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 14m |
| August | 5:48 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:00 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 53m |
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 Lukens, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:31 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:43 AM – 4:43 AM | 3.0 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:46 PM – 4:06 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:52 PM – 3:52 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:48 PM – 2:28 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:13 PM – 12:23 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:26 PM – 10:26 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:43 PM – 8:23 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.45 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
- 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 Mount Lukens, closest first.
Waterfall
Botanical Garden
Mountain Peak
National Forest
Mountain Pass
Botanical Garden
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lightning Point Group Campground12.6 km (7.8 mi) · reservable
- Coulter Group Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Meadow Group Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Chilao Campground - Little Pines Loop22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Bandido Group Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Lukens?
What time is golden hour at Mount Lukens?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Lukens?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Lukens?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Lukens?
How far is Mount Lukens from La Crescenta-Montrose?
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.