Located in Summit County, Colorado, Crystal Peak is a mountain peak at about 4,213 m (13,822 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 8.4 km (5.2 mi) SW of Breckenridge.
Crystal Peak is a high mountain summit in the Tenmile Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13,859-foot (4,224 m) thirteener is in White River National Forest, 5.9 miles (9.5 km) southwest (bearing 220°) of the Town of Breckenridge in Summit County, Colorado, United States.From the Wikipedia article “Crystal Peak (Tenmile Range)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crystal Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (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 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 58° ENE | 8:36 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 120° ESE | 4:45 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 23m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 42m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 20m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 56m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 41m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:19 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 24m |
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 Crystal Peak, 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 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 | 5:11 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:48 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:21 AM – 3:51 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:35 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:27 PM – 2:07 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 12:02 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 10:06 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:06 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.4 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 September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 36 | 34 | 55 | 61 | 75 | 82 | 82 | 78 | 78 | 69 | 54 | 43 |
| Low °F | -26 | -34 | -23 | -12 | 4 | 19 | 29 | 27 | 10 | -7 | -29 | -28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
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
- 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 Crystal Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain Pass
Ghost Town
Mountain Pass
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Camp Hale East Fork Group14.9 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
- Selkirk15.6 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
- Peak One17.1 km (10.7 mi) · reservable
- Camp Hale Memorial17.3 km (10.8 mi) · reservable
- Roberts Cabin18.9 km (11.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crystal Peak?
What time is golden hour at Crystal Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crystal Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crystal Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crystal Peak?
How far is Crystal Peak from Breckenridge?
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.