Baker Peak — a mountain peak in Camas County, Idaho at about 3,098 m (10,164 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Ketchum, about 26 km (16 mi) away (Baker Peak lies W of town).
Baker Peak, at 10,174 feet (3,101 m) above sea level, is the fifth-highest peak in the Smoky Mountains of the U.S. state of Idaho. Located in Sawtooth National Forest on the border of Blaine and Camas counties, Baker Peak is about 1.5 miles (2,400 m) east of Big Peak and 1.45 miles (2.33 kilometres) south of Backdrop Peak. It is the 407th-highest peak in Idaho.From the Wikipedia article “Baker Peak (Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Baker Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:58 AM | 56° NE | 9:25 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:10 AM | 123° ESE | 5:05 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 7:38 AM | 8:10 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:19 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:31 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:39 PM | 9:23 PM | 9:59 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:33 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:33 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:53 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 8h 57m |
Local time (America/Boise), 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 Baker Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:31 AM – 6:11 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:27 AM – 5:07 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:31 AM – 4:01 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:46 PM – 3:26 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:33 PM – 2:13 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:29 PM – 10:09 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.89 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 45 | 50 | 63 | 75 | 86 | 94 | 98 | 96 | 91 | 82 | 64 | 45 |
| Low °F | -21 | -16 | -8 | 11 | 19 | 26 | 35 | 33 | 24 | 6 | -29 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 |
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 Baker Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
National Forest
Hot SpringHot SpringHot SpringHot SpringHot Spring
Mountain Peak
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Easley Campground16.8 km (10.4 mi) · reservable
- Bowns Campground17.7 km (11.0 mi)
- Chemeketan Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Wood River Group Overnight Area (Tent Only)22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- North Fork (Id)24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Baker Peak?
What time is golden hour at Baker Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Baker Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Baker Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Baker Peak?
How far is Baker Peak from Ketchum?
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.