Thompson Peak — a mountain peak in Boise County, Idaho at about 3,256 m (10,682 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 89 km (55 mi) NW of Hailey.
Thompson Peak is the highest peak in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho. Its 10,751 ft (3,277 m) summit is located within Custer County, although some of the lower portion of the mountain is in Boise County. Thompson Peak is also located within the Sawtooth Wilderness portion of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, a unit of Sawtooth National Forest. The town of Stanley, Idaho is about 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Thompson Peak. Redfish Lake, Little Redfish Lake, and the visitor services at these locations are only a few miles from Thompson Peak. Directly to the north is neighboring Williams Peak, while Mickey's Spire is 0.24 miles (0.39 km) to the south-southwest.From the Wikipedia article “Thompson Peak (Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Thompson 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) | 7:44 AM | 90° E | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 56° NE | 9:28 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:13 AM | 123° ESE | 5:05 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 | 7:40 AM | 8:13 AM | 8:58 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:27 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:34 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:42 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:39 PM | 9:22 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:35 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:05 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:36 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 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 Thompson Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:33 AM – 6:13 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:36 AM – 4:06 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:53 PM – 3:23 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:38 PM – 2:08 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:39 PM – 12:09 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:32 PM – 10:02 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 30% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 35 | 40 | 57 | 69 | 80 | 93 | 95 | 93 | 90 | 81 | 61 | 43 |
| Low °F | -23 | -22 | -15 | -1 | 13 | 24 | 31 | 28 | 22 | 2 | -16 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Thompson Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Point Campground6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Iron Creek Campground (Id)6.4 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Redfish Cabin7.2 km (4.5 mi) · reservable
- North Shore Picnic Area7.5 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
- Sockeye Campground7.5 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Thompson Peak?
What time is golden hour at Thompson Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Thompson Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Thompson Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Thompson Peak?
How far is Thompson Peak from Hailey?
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.