Strawberry Peak — a mountain peak in Los Angeles County, California at about 1,872 m (6,142 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Altadena, about 10.5 km (6.5 mi) away (Strawberry Peak lies N of town).
Strawberry Peak (6,164 ft or 1,879 m) is a prominent peak in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California. It is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of Pasadena, and 28 miles (45 km) from Los Angeles, along the Angeles Crest Highway. Strawberry Peak is the tallest of the front range peaks, being three feet higher than nearby San Gabriel Peak. Both can be widely seen from greater Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, and are popular with hikers. Other prominent nearby peaks include Josephine Peak and Mount Wilson. Strawberry Peak was named by mountaineers over a century ago, who felt the peak resembled an enormous upside-down strawberry. The peak can be ascended on the east side as a 7.2-mile round-trip trail walk using Strawberry Peak Trail, which begins near the Red Box Picnic Area, or from the west as a class 3 scramble from a trailhead near the entrance to the...From the Wikipedia article “Strawberry Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Strawberry Peak 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 | 8:08 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:56 AM | 118° ESE | 4:47 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 | 7:36 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 07m |
| February | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 5:12 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 26m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 14m |
| August | 5:48 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:00 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:16 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:06 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 Strawberry Peak, 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 | 4:30 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:44 AM – 5:34 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:42 AM – 4:42 AM | 3.0 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:45 PM – 4:05 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:51 PM – 3:51 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:47 PM – 2:27 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:12 PM – 12:22 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:25 PM – 10:25 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:42 PM – 8:22 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 ≈ 18.8 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
- 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 Strawberry Peak, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
National Forest
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Canyon
Botanical GardenCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Coulter Group Campground10.4 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Meadow Group Campground10.4 km (6.5 mi) · reservable
- Chilao Campground - Little Pines Loop10.7 km (6.7 mi) · reservable
- Lightning Point Group Campground11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Bandido Group Campground12.6 km (7.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Strawberry Peak?
What time is golden hour at Strawberry Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Strawberry Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Strawberry Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Strawberry Peak?
How far is Strawberry Peak from Altadena?
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.