Located in Inyo County, California, Mount Williamson is a mountain peak at about 4,384 m (14,383 ft) above sea level. It is part of Inyo National Forest. The nearest town is Lone Pine, about 23 km (14 mi) away (Mount Williamson lies WNW of town).
Mount Williamson, at an elevation of 14,379 feet (4,383 m), is the second-highest mountain in both the Sierra Nevada range and the state of California, and the sixth-highest peak in the contiguous United States.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Williamson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Williamson 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 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 60° ENE | 8:16 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:03 AM | 119° ESE | 4:42 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 39m |
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 | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 56m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 52m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 07m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 39m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 26m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 34m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 13m |
| December | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 40m |
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 Williamson, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:41 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:57 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.7 | 21° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:49 AM – 4:39 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 11:56 PM – 3:56 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:06 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:00 PM – 2:10 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:21 PM – 12:11 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:30 PM – 10:10 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:44 PM – 8:14 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 August as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (53%). 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 | 70 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 90 | 99 | 101 | 99 | 96 | 88 | 81 | 70 |
| Low °F | 3 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 24 | 28 | 44 | 39 | 29 | 22 | 9 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.5 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Williamson, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Whitney Portal10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Grays Meadows12.6 km (7.8 mi) · reservable
- Lone Pine13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Onion Valley13.5 km (8.4 mi) · reservable
- Tuttle Creek Campground19.3 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Williamson?
What time is golden hour at Mount Williamson?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Williamson?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Williamson?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Williamson?
How far is Mount Williamson from Lone 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.