Thompson Peak — a mountain peak in Trinity County, California at about 2,725 m (8,940 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 31 km (19 mi) NNW of Weaverville.
Thompson Peak is a mountain (a high point on a tall granite ridge) in Trinity County, California. At 9,001 feet, it is the highest peak in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, and the second highest in Northern California west of the Cascades. It is the highest point in a ridge that also features Wedding Cake, another well-known Trinity Alps peak. Thompson Peak is the highest Peak in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, a vast assemblage of craggy granite mountains in northwestern California (Trinity Alps Wilderness is the seventh largest designated wilderness area in California).From the Wikipedia article “Thompson Peak (Trinity County, California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Thompson Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (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 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 58° ENE | 8:49 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 121° ESE | 4:48 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 13m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:21 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:26 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 54m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Thompson Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:29 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:41 AM – 5:51 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:41 AM – 4:51 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:37 AM – 3:57 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:54 PM – 3:24 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:44 PM – 2:04 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 10:06 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:04 PM – 8:04 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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 ≈ 21.88 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ 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
- 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 Thompson Peak, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Big Flat Campground12.1 km (7.5 mi)
- Mary Smith Campground13.9 km (8.6 mi) · reservable
- Bridge Camp (Ca)18.0 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Stoney Group Shasta-Trinity23 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Fawn 24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Thompson Peak?
What time is golden hour at Thompson Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Thompson Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Thompson Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Thompson Peak?
How far is Thompson Peak from Weaverville?
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.