D. O. Lee Peak — a mountain peak in Custer County, Idaho at about 3,454 m (11,332 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Sun Valley, about 50 km (31 mi) away (D. O. Lee Peak lies NNW of town).
D. O. Lee Peak, also known as Lee Peak, at 11,347 feet (3,459 m) above sea level, is the third-highest peak in the White Cloud Mountains of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is one of the White Cloud Peaks and the 56th-highest peak in Idaho. It was named after Challis native David Oliver Lee (1934–1982), the first United States Forest Service ranger to be assigned to the Sawtooth Wilderness. The peak is located 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Stanley in Sawtooth National Recreation Area of Custer County. It is situated 1.25 miles (2.01 km) south-southwest of Calkins Peak, its line parent, and rises to the west of Cirque, Sapphire, Cove, and the Born Lakes.From the Wikipedia article “D. O. Lee Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At D. O. Lee 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 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° 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 | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:11 AM | 123° ESE | 5:04 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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 | 8:57 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 29m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:32 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:24 PM | 10:01 PM | 15h 29m |
| 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 | 8:45 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:18 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 | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:34 AM | 8:08 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 D. O. Lee 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 | 5:32 AM – 6:12 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:28 AM – 5:08 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:33 AM – 4:03 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:49 PM – 3:29 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:35 PM – 2:05 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:37 PM – 12:07 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:30 PM – 10:00 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 ≈ 21.92 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
- 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 D. O. Lee Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Hot Spring
Mountain PeakHot Spring
Dark Sky PlaceHot SpringHot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lower O'Brien Campground17.9 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Whiskey Flat Campground18.0 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Holman Creek Campground18.1 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Upper O'Brien Campground18.2 km (11.3 mi) · reservable
- Outlet Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph D. O. Lee Peak?
What time is golden hour at D. O. Lee Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at D. O. Lee Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from D. O. Lee Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at D. O. Lee Peak?
How far is D. O. Lee 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.