Located in Siskiyou County, California, Preston Peak is a mountain peak at about 2,208 m (7,244 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Happy Camp, about 19.7 km (12.2 mi) away (Preston Peak lies WNW of town).
Preston Peak (Karuk: keech'íihyan), is a dominant feature of the Siskiyou Wilderness in the Klamath National Forest in northern California, U.S. Many peaks in the wilderness rise to over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) but none comes to within 500 feet (150 m) of approaching the height of Preston Peak. From the summit on a clear day, the Pacific Ocean is visible along with peaks in the Klamath Mountains and Cascade Range. John Hart, in his book Hiking the Bigfoot Country says of the peak: At a mile and some above sea level it is by no means the highest peak in the Klamath Mountains...Yet there is no mountain in northern California which I remember with more pleasure. They say that early travellers on the Klamath River, glimpsing the mountain above them, thought it was 10,000 feet tall.From the Wikipedia article “Preston Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Preston Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 57° ENE | 8:54 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 122° ESE | 4:47 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
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 | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 09m |
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 Preston Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:44 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:45 AM – 4:45 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 3:53 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 11:02 PM – 3:22 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 2:02 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 10:01 PM – 12:01 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.89 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 72 | 72 | 76 | 81 | 90 | 100 | 103 | 100 | 101 | 92 | 79 | 67 |
| Low °F | 16 | 17 | 22 | 27 | 30 | 35 | 42 | 42 | 37 | 30 | 20 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.0 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 6.9 | 11.0 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Preston Peak, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness Area
National ForestCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Bear Basin Lookout And Cabin11.0 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Curly Jack Campground19.1 km (11.9 mi) · reservable
- Patrick Creek Campground19.9 km (12.3 mi) · reservable
- Grassy Flat Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Bolan Mountain Lookout24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Preston Peak?
What time is golden hour at Preston Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Preston Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Preston Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Preston Peak?
How far is Preston Peak from Happy Camp?
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.