Horsetooth Mountain — a mountain peak in Larimer County, Colorado at about 2,197 m (7,208 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 10.8 km (6.7 mi) WSW of Fort Collins.
Horsetooth Mountain is a mountain summit in the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 7,259-foot (2,213 m) peak is located in the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, 7.0 miles (11.2 km) west (bearing 265°) of downtown Fort Collins in Larimer County, Colorado, United States.From the Wikipedia article “Horsetooth Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Horsetooth 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 | 8:36 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 121° ESE | 4:38 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 | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 36m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:14 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 03m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 48m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 18m |
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 Horsetooth 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 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| 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 | 2:28 AM – 4:38 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:23 AM – 3:43 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:39 PM – 3:19 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:30 PM – 2:00 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:53 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:54 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.99 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Horsetooth Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Natural Arch
State Park
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ansel Watrous21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Stove Prairie23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Buckhorn Ranger Station23 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Narrows (Co)26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Mountain Park28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Horsetooth Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Horsetooth Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Horsetooth Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Horsetooth Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Horsetooth Mountain?
How far is Horsetooth Mountain from Fort Collins?
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.