Located in San Miguel County, Colorado, Mount Wilson is a mountain peak at about 4,273 m (14,019 ft) above sea level. It is part of San Juan National Forest. It sits roughly 15.6 km (9.7 mi) SW of Mountain Village.
Mount Wilson is the highest summit of the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14,254.1-foot (4,345 m) fourteener is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, 10.6 miles (17.1 km) north by east (bearing 12°) of the Town of Rico in Dolores County, Colorado, United States. Mount Wilson should not be confused with the lower Wilson Peak nearby. The peak was named for A.D. Wilson, a topographer with the Hayden Survey. He was in the first ascent party, which climbed the peak on September 13, 1874, via the south ridge (a difficult route, not often climbed today).From the Wikipedia article “Mount Wilson (Colorado)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Wilson 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 59° ENE | 8:38 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 120° ESE | 4:57 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 32m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 50m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 46m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 32m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 34m |
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 Wilson, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:21 AM – 5:01 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:20 AM – 4:10 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:31 PM – 3:51 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 2:24 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 12:24 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:03 PM – 8:23 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (55%). 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 | 48 | 52 | 61 | 69 | 81 | 85 | 87 | 83 | 82 | 71 | 62 | 50 |
| Low °F | -31 | -20 | -13 | -3 | 11 | 23 | 33 | 32 | 13 | 2 | -20 | -28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
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.
- 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 Mount Wilson, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Hot Spring
Waterfall
Mountain PeakHot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cayton Campground7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
- Woods Lake7.7 km (4.8 mi) · reservable
- Burro Bridge8.9 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Matterhorn Cabin9.6 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Matterhorn9.7 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Wilson?
What time is golden hour at Mount Wilson?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Wilson?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Wilson?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Wilson?
How far is Mount Wilson from Mountain Village?
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.