Thunder Mountain — a mountain peak in Amador County, California at about 2,865 m (9,400 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 30 km (19 mi) SSW of South Lake Tahoe.
Thunder Mountain in the Sierra Nevada in Amador County, California, United States, east of Silver Lake and west of Kirkwood Mountain Resort in the Eldorado National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Thunder Mountain (Amador County, California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Thunder Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (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 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 59° ENE | 8:29 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 120° ESE | 4:43 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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 | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 46m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 51m |
| July | 5:18 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 29m |
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 Thunder Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:12 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:13 AM – 3:53 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:25 PM – 3:35 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:18 PM – 2:08 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:35 PM – 12:05 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:00 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:11 PM | 0.3 | 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 ≈ 21.49 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 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 | 72 | 70 | 75 | 84 | 97 | 104 | 107 | 103 | 107 | 97 | 83 | 70 |
| Low °F | 17 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 32 | 38 | 46 | 46 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 6.0 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Thunder Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Wilderness Area
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
LakeScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Kirkwood Campground3.7 km (2.3 mi)
- Caples Lake Campground4.7 km (2.9 mi)
- Woods Lake Campground7.2 km (4.5 mi)
- Silver Fork Campground10.5 km (6.5 mi)
- Lovers Leap Campground14.6 km (9.1 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Thunder Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Thunder Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Thunder Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Thunder Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Thunder Mountain?
How far is Thunder Mountain from South Lake Tahoe?
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.