Cobb Peak — a mountain peak in Blaine County, Idaho at about 3,512 m (11,522 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 18.5 km (11.5 mi) ENE of Sun Valley.
Cobb Peak, at 11,650 feet (3,550 m) above sea level is the 12th highest peak in the Pioneer Mountains of Idaho. The peak is located in Sawtooth National Forest and Blaine County. It is the 35th highest peak in Idaho. Cobb Peak is 1.3 mi (2.1 km) south of Hyndman Peak and 0.8 mi (1.3 km) southwest of Old Hyndman Peak.From the Wikipedia article “Cobb Peak (Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cobb 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 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:41 AM | 90° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 56° NE | 9:23 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:08 AM | 123° ESE | 5:03 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 | 7:36 AM | 8:08 AM | 8:53 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 7:07 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:29 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:21 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:17 PM | 9:52 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:22 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:31 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:51 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:34 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 Cobb 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 | 5:29 AM – 6:09 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:25 AM – 5:05 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:29 AM – 3:59 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:44 PM – 3:24 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:31 PM – 2:11 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:34 PM – 12:04 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:27 PM – 10:07 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cobb Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Dark Sky Place
Botanical Garden
Hot Spring
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Boundary (Id)16.0 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Phi Kappa Campground16.1 km (10.0 mi)
- Copper Basin Guard Station24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- North Fork (Id)25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Murdock Campground25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cobb Peak?
What time is golden hour at Cobb Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cobb Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cobb Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cobb Peak?
How far is Cobb 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.