Mount Audubon — a mountain peak in Boulder County, Colorado at about 4,026 m (13,209 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Nederland, about 17.7 km (11.0 mi) away (Mount Audubon lies NNW of town).
Mount Audubon is a high mountain summit of the Indian Peaks in the northern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13,229-foot (4,032 m) thirteener is located in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of Roosevelt National Forest, 5.6 miles (9.0 km) west-northwest (bearing 287°) of the Town of Ward in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The mountain was named in honor of John James Audubon.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Audubon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Audubon 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (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) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 58° ENE | 8:36 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 121° ESE | 4:41 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 19m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 5:01 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:15 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 20m |
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 Mount Audubon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:21 AM – 3:51 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:36 PM – 3:26 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:28 PM – 1:58 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 12:02 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:54 PM – 8:04 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.1 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 Mount Audubon, closest first.
Mountain PassMountain Pass
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Lake
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Pawnee5.5 km (3.4 mi) · reservable
- Camp Dick9.0 km (5.6 mi) · reservable
- Peaceful Valley10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Rainbow Lakes Campground10.8 km (6.7 mi)
- Arapaho Bay12.1 km (7.5 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Audubon?
What time is golden hour at Mount Audubon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Audubon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Audubon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Audubon?
How far is Mount Audubon from Nederland?
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.