Castle Peak — a mountain peak in Custer County, Idaho at about 3,601 m (11,814 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 42 km (26 mi) NNW of Sun Valley.
Castle Peak (11,815 feet; 3,601 m) is a mountain in the western United States, the highest peak in the White Cloud Mountains of central Idaho and the Idaho Batholith. Located in Custer County, it is the 25th highest peak in the state, and the ninth most prominent. Castle Peak is within the Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds Wilderness, which is part of Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Custer County. The towns of Stanley and Challis are both about 21 miles (34 km) away, and Ketchum-Sun Valley area is about 27 miles (43 km) from the peak. Castle Peak is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the area surrounding the peak can be easily accessed. Camping is permitted anywhere in Sawtooth National Forest and the lakes surrounding Castle Peak provide excellent places to stay. The peak rises to the northeast of Chamberlain Basin and south of Castle Lake and Merriam Peak. There are trails...From the Wikipedia article “Castle Peak (Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Castle 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 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 56° NE | 9:26 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:11 AM | 123° ESE | 5:04 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 7:39 AM | 8:11 AM | 8:56 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:19 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:32 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:24 PM | 10:00 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:35 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:20 PM | 9:55 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 6:12 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:33 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:34 AM | 8:07 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:35 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Castle 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 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:32 AM – 4:02 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:48 PM – 3:28 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:34 PM – 2:04 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:29 PM – 9:59 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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 ≈ 21.91 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 34% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 36 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 82 | 89 | 95 | 91 | 88 | 79 | 63 | 44 |
| Low °F | -28 | -22 | -12 | -5 | 15 | 22 | 31 | 31 | 20 | -3 | -23 | -25 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
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 Castle Peak, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Hot Spring
Mountain PeakWilderness AreaHot Spring
Dark Sky PlaceCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Pettit Lake Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Holman Creek Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Whiskey Flat Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Alturas Lake Picnic Area (Id)25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Chemeketan Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Castle Peak?
What time is golden hour at Castle Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Castle Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Castle Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Castle Peak?
How far is Castle Peak from Sun Valley?
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.