Clark Peak is a mountain peak in Larimer County, Colorado at about 3,947 m (12,949 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Estes Park, about 43 km (27 mi) away (Clark Peak lies NW of town).
Clark Peak is the highest summit of the Medicine Bow Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 12,960-foot (3,950 m) peak is located in the Rawah Wilderness of Routt National Forest, 6.3 miles (10.1 km) north-northwest (bearing 342°) of Cameron Pass, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide between Jackson and Larimer counties. Clark Peak is the highest point of Jackson County and the entire drainage basin of the North Platte River.From the Wikipedia article “Clark Peak (Medicine Bow Mountains)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Clark 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 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:08 AM | 90° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 58° ENE | 8:39 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 121° ESE | 4:40 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 16m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 5:00 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 04m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 48m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 17m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Clark Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:21 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:42 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:31 AM – 4:41 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:26 AM – 3:46 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:22 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 2:03 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:56 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 9:57 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:56 PM – 7:56 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.67 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and May 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 | 46 | 48 | 65 | 71 | 83 | 89 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 74 | 62 | 50 |
| Low °F | -26 | -31 | -15 | -3 | 5 | 27 | 36 | 31 | 19 | -4 | -12 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
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 Clark Peak, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
State Park
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Wilderness Area
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Chambers Lake7.5 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Aspen Campground13.3 km (8.3 mi)
- Sleeping Elephant Campground15.7 km (9.8 mi)
- Grandview Campground16.5 km (10.2 mi)
- Long Draw Campground17.0 km (10.6 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Clark Peak?
What time is golden hour at Clark Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Clark Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Clark Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Clark Peak?
How far is Clark Peak from Estes Park?
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.