Located in Madison County, Idaho, Menan Buttes is a mountain peak at about 1,594 m (5,230 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 13.3 km (8.3 mi) NNW of Rigby.
The North and South Menan Buttes in southeastern Idaho are two of the world's largest volcanic tuff cones. The two cones, with four smaller associated cones, align along a north-northwest line and comprise the Menan Complex. The buttes rise about 800 feet (250 m) above the surrounding Snake River plain and are late Pleistocene in age, dating to approximately 10,000 YBP (Years Before Present). The South Menan Butte is currently in private hands, however North Menan Butte is publicly owned and has been designated as a National Natural Landmark and a Research Natural Area by the United States Congress. The US Bureau of Land Management designated the North Butte as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).From the Wikipedia article “Menan Buttes”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Menan Buttes 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) | 7:32 AM | 90° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 56° NE | 9:14 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:59 AM | 123° ESE | 4:54 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 | 7:27 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:45 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:28 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:12 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:19 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:03 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:30 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:09 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:14 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:23 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:43 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:25 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Menan Buttes, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:20 AM – 6:00 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:16 AM – 4:56 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:20 AM – 3:50 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 3:15 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:22 PM – 2:02 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 11:55 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:18 PM – 9:58 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.52 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 December as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 34 | 34 | 62 | 74 | 83 | 88 | 95 | 95 | 86 | 77 | 62 | 43 |
| Low °F | -25 | -27 | -20 | -5 | 11 | 23 | 35 | 32 | 22 | 3 | -20 | -25 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Menan Buttes?
What time is golden hour at Menan Buttes?
Where does the sun rise and set at Menan Buttes?
Can you see the Milky Way from Menan Buttes?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Menan Buttes?
How far is Menan Buttes from Rigby?
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.