Turret Peak — a mountain peak in La Plata County, Colorado at about 4,211 m (13,816 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Telluride, about 38 km (23 mi) away (Turret Peak lies SSE of town).
Turret Peak is a high peak of the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of the US State of Colorado. It rises on the east side of the Animas River, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southeast of Pigeon Peak. It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness, part of the San Juan National Forest. Turret Peak is the 89th highest independent peak in Colorado.From the Wikipedia article “Turret Peak (Colorado)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Turret 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 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 90° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 59° ENE | 8:36 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 120° ESE | 4:56 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 33m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 51m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 12m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 45m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 31m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 35m |
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 Turret 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 | 5:09 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 5:00 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:19 AM – 4:09 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:30 PM – 3:50 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:23 PM – 2:23 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 12:23 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:22 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
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- 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 Turret Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Ghost Town
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
National Forest
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Haviland Lake Campground17.9 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Vallecito Campground18.6 km (11.6 mi) · reservable
- Transfer Park Campground18.7 km (11.6 mi) · reservable
- Transfer Park Campground18.7 km (11.6 mi)
- Chris Park18.7 km (11.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Turret Peak?
What time is golden hour at Turret Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Turret Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Turret Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Turret Peak?
How far is Turret Peak from Telluride?
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.