Crested Butte is a mountain peak in Gunnison County, Colorado at about 3,704 m (12,152 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.1 km (2.5 mi) ENE of Crested Butte.
Crested Butte is a prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 12,168-foot (3,709 m) peak is in Gunnison National Forest, 2.1 miles (3.4 km) northeast by east (bearing 59°) of the Town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. Ski lifts and runs of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort occupy the north side of the mountain.From the Wikipedia article “Crested Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crested Butte 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) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:43 AM | 59° ENE | 8:37 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 120° ESE | 4:50 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 26m |
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 | 7:25 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 53m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 38m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:24 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 28m |
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 Crested Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 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 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 | 5:15 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:50 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 4:02 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:35 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:28 PM – 2:18 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:09 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.2 | 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: 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 ≈ 21.82 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 June as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (61%). 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 | 44 | 48 | 63 | 68 | 82 | 86 | 87 | 83 | 82 | 72 | 60 | 49 |
| Low °F | -28 | -25 | -13 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 35 | 34 | 19 | -3 | -21 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
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
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- 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.
- 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 Crested Butte, closest first.
Waterfall
Hot Spring
Mountain PeakHot Spring
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain PassHot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Oh Be Joyful Campground8.5 km (5.3 mi) · reservable
- Cement Creek11.2 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
- Gothic12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Lake Irwin14.1 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Mosca20 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crested Butte?
What time is golden hour at Crested Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crested Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crested Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crested Butte?
How far is Crested Butte from Crested Butte?
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.