Greyrock Mountain — a mountain peak in Larimer County, Colorado at about 2,297 m (7,536 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Laporte, about 16.3 km (10.1 mi) away (Greyrock Mountain lies NW of town).
Greyrock Mountain is a mountain summit in the Laramie Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 7,616-foot (2,321 m) peak is located in Roosevelt National Forest, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) north-northeast (bearing 18°) of the community Poudre Park in Larimer County, Colorado, United States.From the Wikipedia article “Greyrock Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Greyrock Mountain 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) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 58° ENE | 8:37 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 121° ESE | 4:38 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 15m |
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 | 8:06 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:14 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 27m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 05m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 49m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 16m |
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 Greyrock Mountain, 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 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:18 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:29 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:29 AM – 4:39 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 3:44 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:21 AM | 4.7 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:52 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:54 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:55 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:53 PM – 7:53 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.11 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Greyrock Mountain, closest first.
Canyon
Wilderness Area
State Park
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ansel Watrous5.5 km (3.4 mi) · reservable
- Stove Prairie9.4 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Narrows (Co)12.0 km (7.5 mi) · reservable
- Mountain Park15.3 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Kelly Flats Campground16.4 km (10.2 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Greyrock Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Greyrock Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Greyrock Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Greyrock Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Greyrock Mountain?
How far is Greyrock Mountain from Laporte?
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.