Located in Saguache County, Colorado, San Luis Peak is a mountain peak at about 4,268 m (14,003 ft) above sea level. It is part of Gunnison National Forest. The nearest town is Gunnison, about 62 km (39 mi) away (San Luis Peak lies S of town).
San Luis Peak is a high summit in the San Juan Mountains, a range in the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14,020-foot (4273.36 m) fourteener is located in the Gunnison National Forest portion of the La Garita Wilderness in Saguache County approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Creede. It is situated rather far to the east of the other fourteeners in the San Juans, and has more of a wilderness setting than many of the others. San Luis Peak is a relatively straightforward climb, with two hiking routes to the summit. The Northeast Ridge route begins at the Stewart Creek Trailhead and is 13.5 mi (21.7 km) round trip. The South Ridge route begins at the West Willow Creek Trailhead north of Creede. This route is almost entirely above treeline and is 12.3 mi (19.8 km) round trip.From the Wikipedia article “San Luis Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At San Luis Peak 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 75° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 59° ENE | 8:34 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 120° ESE | 4:52 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 31m |
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 | 8:03 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 47m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:25 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 33m |
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 San Luis Peak, 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 | 5:06 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:13 AM – 5:43 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 4:07 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:29 PM – 3:49 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:22 PM – 2:22 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:21 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:17 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:19 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 ≈ 21.91 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 (54%). 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 | 52 | 57 | 65 | 73 | 87 | 90 | 91 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 53 |
| Low °F | -23 | -15 | -10 | 9 | 16 | 29 | 39 | 38 | 19 | 11 | -8 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 San Luis Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Stone Cellar Guard Station22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Marshall Park23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Deer Lakes (Co)23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Bristol Head Campground26 km (16 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph San Luis Peak?
What time is golden hour at San Luis Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at San Luis Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from San Luis Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at San Luis Peak?
How far is San Luis Peak from Gunnison?
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.