Cache Peak is a mountain peak in Cassia County, Idaho at about 3,136 m (10,289 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 40 km (25 mi) SSE of Burley.
Cache Peak, at 10,339 feet (3,151 m) above sea level, is the highest peak in the Albion Mountains of Cassia County in Southern Idaho and the highest peak south of the Snake River in Idaho. Cache Peak is located in the central part of the range southeast of Oakley and north of Almo in the Albion Division of the Minidoka Ranger District of Sawtooth National Forest. Cache Peak is in the watershed of tributaries of the Snake River, which itself is a tributary of the Columbia River. The peak is a part of the Great Basin Divide and the Basin and Range Province. It is the highest peak in Idaho south of the Snake River Plain, the highest in Cassia County, and north of City of Rocks National Reserve. The Independence Lakes are located in the basin north of the peak, and Mount Independence is about 1 mi (1.6 km) northwest of the peak. The peak can be reached via a non-technical hike, and...From the Wikipedia article “Cache Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cache Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:39 AM | 90° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 57° ENE | 9:15 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 122° ESE | 5:06 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 05m |
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 | 7:30 AM | 8:01 AM | 8:45 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:24 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 5:24 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:31 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:43 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:07 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:14 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:20 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:26 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:56 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 7:25 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:42 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 07m |
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 Cache Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 6:05 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:08 AM – 5:08 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 1:17 AM – 4:07 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:27 PM – 3:37 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:17 PM – 2:17 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 12:15 AM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:22 PM – 10:12 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 35% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 63 | 59 | 74 | 85 | 98 | 104 | 107 | 102 | 101 | 90 | 73 | 56 |
| Low °F | -19 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 43 | 43 | 29 | 11 | -12 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
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.
- 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 Cache Peak, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
Rock Formation
State ParkRock Formation
Natural ArchRock Formation
Mountain Peak
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Independence Lakes Campground3.8 km (2.4 mi)
- Smoky Mountain Campground12.3 km (7.6 mi)
- City Of Rocks Campground13.6 km (8.4 mi)
- Lake Cleveland Campground - West Side14.9 km (9.2 mi)
- Twin Lakes Campground (Sawtooth)15.0 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cache Peak?
What time is golden hour at Cache Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cache Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cache Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cache Peak?
How far is Cache Peak from Burley?
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.