Located in Mono County, California, White Mountain Peak is a mountain peak at about 4,338 m (14,232 ft) above sea level. It is part of White Mountains Wilderness. It sits roughly 31 km (19 mi) NNE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek.
White Mountain Peak (or simply White Mountain), at 14,252 feet (4,344 m), is the highest peak in the White Mountains of California, the highest peak in Mono County, and the third highest peak in the state after Mount Whitney and Mount Williamson. Despite its name, the summit block of the peak has large swaths of very dark and colorful orange scree and rock; it is composed of Mesozoic metavolcanic rock, which is igneous rock altered by rising granite. It is the fourteenth most topographically prominent peak in the contiguous United States. White Mountain Peak is one of only two fourteeners (peaks above 14,000 feet) in California that are not in the Sierra Nevada, the other being Mount Shasta at the far northern end of the state in the Cascade Range. It is the only fourteener in the contiguous United States that is not in the Rocky Mountains, the Cascade Range, or the Sierra Nevada. It...From the Wikipedia article “White Mountain Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At White Mountain Peak 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 59° ENE | 8:19 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:05 AM | 120° ESE | 4:39 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 33m |
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 | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 51m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:15 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 12m |
| June | 5:01 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 45m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 31m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:11 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 6:32 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 35m |
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 White Mountain Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:51 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:58 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:02 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:01 AM – 3:51 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:12 PM – 3:32 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:05 PM – 2:05 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:25 PM – 12:05 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:31 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:44 PM – 8:04 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 21% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 53 | 60 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 78 | 68 | 55 |
| Low °F | -14 | -12 | -14 | -3 | 12 | 20 | 35 | 31 | 20 | 9 | -7 | -16 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.9 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of White Mountain Peak, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
National ForestFAQ
When is the best time to photograph White Mountain Peak?
What time is golden hour at White Mountain Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at White Mountain Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from White Mountain Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at White Mountain Peak?
How far is White Mountain Peak from Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek?
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.