Located in Sierra County, California, Schroeder Mountain is a mountain peak at about 2,116 m (6,942 ft) above sea level. It is part of Tahoe National Forest. The nearest town is Portola, about 21 km (13 mi) away (Schroeder Mountain lies SSW of town).
Schroeder Mountain is a mountain in the California's Sierra Nevada, on the Tahoe National Forest. It is located 0.8 miles (1 km) east of California State Route 49 in Sierra County. Its elevation is 6,942 feet (2,116 m). It is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west-northwest of Yuba Pass, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of Beartrap Meadow; approx. 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Downieville. Clark Station Summer Home Tract is at the base of the mountain. It is also known by some local cabin owners as Fuzz Top due to the "fuzzy" way the vegetation appears from far away. This name has been in use since at least the 1960s. It is a very steep and difficult climb to the top without a trail. Despite this, many cabin owners have been to Fuzz Top's summit numerous times.From the Wikipedia article “Schroeder Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Schroeder Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:06 AM | 90° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 58° ENE | 8:34 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 120° ESE | 4:42 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 22m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 23m |
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 Schroeder Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:20 AM – 3:50 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:34 PM – 3:24 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:26 PM – 2:06 AM | 3.7 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:01 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 10:04 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:54 PM – 8:04 PM | 0.2 | 12° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.61 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 15% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 64 | 67 | 70 | 76 | 89 | 98 | 102 | 100 | 98 | 90 | 77 | 62 |
| Low °F | 0 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 24 | 27 | 39 | 38 | 27 | 21 | -1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.6 | 6.8 | 6.1 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 7.9 |
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.
- 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 Schroeder Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Pass
National Forest
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Scenic ViewpointWaterfallMountain Pass
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Chapman1.4 km (0.8 mi) · reservable
- Sierra2.5 km (1.6 mi) · reservable
- Yuba Pass Campground3.5 km (2.2 mi) · reservable
- Salmon Creek7.2 km (4.4 mi) · reservable
- Sardine Lake7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Schroeder Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Schroeder Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Schroeder Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Schroeder Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Schroeder Mountain?
How far is Schroeder Mountain from Portola?
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.