Big Peak is a mountain peak in Camas County, Idaho at about 3,049 m (10,003 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Ketchum, about 29 km (18 mi) away (Big Peak lies W of town).
Big Peak, at 10,047 feet (3,062 m) above sea level a peak in the Smoky Mountains of Idaho. The peak is located in Sawtooth National Forest in Camas County about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Baker Peak.From the Wikipedia article “Big Peak (Camas County, Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big 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 | 5:06 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 | 6:00 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:39 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 | 6:15 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:31 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:22 AM | 5:58 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 | 7:34 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:53 AM | 4:17 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 Big 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 1 (excellent dark-sky 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Big Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Hot Spring
National ForestHot SpringHot SpringHot SpringHot Spring
Mountain Pass
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Bowns Campground14.2 km (8.8 mi)
- Easley Campground19.8 km (12.3 mi) · reservable
- Chemeketan Campground20.0 km (12.4 mi) · reservable
- Wood River Group Overnight Area (Tent Only)26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- North Fork (Id)28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Peak?
What time is golden hour at Big Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Peak?
How far is Big 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.