Mount San Antonio — a mountain peak in San Bernardino County, California at about 3,062 m (10,046 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 8.1 km (5.0 mi) S of Wrightwood.
Mount San Antonio, commonly referred to as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy, is a 10,064 ft (3,068 m) summit in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties of California. Lying within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest, it is the highest point within the mountain range, the County of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Mount San Antonio's sometimes snow-capped peaks are visible on clear days and dominate the view of the Los Angeles Basin skyline. The peak and a subsidiary one to the west form a double summit of a steep-sided east–west ridge. The summit is accessible via a number of connecting ridges along hiking trails from the north, east, south, and southwest.From the Wikipedia article “Mount San Antonio”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount San Antonio 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) | 6:55 AM | 90° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 61° ENE | 8:07 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:54 AM | 118° ESE | 4:45 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 | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:31 PM | 10h 07m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:48 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 26m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 14m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:14 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:11 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 San Antonio, 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 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:29 AM – 5:09 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:43 AM – 5:33 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:41 AM – 4:41 AM | 3.0 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:44 PM – 4:04 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:50 PM – 3:50 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:46 PM – 2:26 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:11 PM – 12:21 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:24 PM – 10:24 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:41 PM – 8:21 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: 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 ≈ 19.45 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (44%). 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 | 77 | 82 | 87 | 93 | 103 | 110 | 111 | 109 | 109 | 98 | 86 | 78 |
| Low °F | 22 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 35 | 40 | 51 | 48 | 40 | 33 | 24 | 20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 San Antonio, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Canyon
Mountain Peak
WaterfallCanyonCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Table Mountain (Angeles)11.5 km (7.2 mi) · reservable
- Appletree Campground12.5 km (7.7 mi) · reservable
- Peavine Campground13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Peavine Campground13.0 km (8.1 mi)
- Lake Campground13.3 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount San Antonio?
What time is golden hour at Mount San Antonio?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount San Antonio?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount San Antonio?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount San Antonio?
How far is Mount San Antonio from Wrightwood?
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.