Bald Mountain is a mountain peak in Blaine County, Idaho at about 2,779 m (9,117 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.6 km (2.9 mi) SW of Ketchum.
Bald Mountain (9,121 feet (2,780 m)) is a mountain in the western United States in south central Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in Blaine County. The mountain has one of the higher summits of the Smoky Mountains of Idaho, located in the Sawtooth National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Bald Mountain (Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bald Mountain 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) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 56° NE | 9:24 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:09 AM | 123° ESE | 5:04 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 | 7:37 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:54 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 7:08 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:18 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:29 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:30 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:22 PM | 9:58 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:18 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 6:12 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:19 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:31 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:32 AM | 8:05 AM | 8:52 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:35 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 Bald Mountain, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:30 AM – 6:10 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:26 AM – 5:06 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:30 AM – 4:00 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:45 PM – 3:25 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:32 PM – 2:12 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:35 PM – 12:05 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:28 PM – 10:08 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.39 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
- 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.
- 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 Bald Mountain, closest first.
Hot Spring
Dark Sky Place
Botanical GardenHot SpringHot Spring
Mountain Peak
National Forest
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Boundary (Id)10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- North Fork (Id)14.9 km (9.2 mi) · reservable
- Wood River Group Overnight Area (Tent Only)15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Murdock Campground16.5 km (10.3 mi) · reservable
- Easley Campground17.1 km (10.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bald Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Bald Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bald Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bald Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bald Mountain?
How far is Bald Mountain 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.