Frenchman Mountain — a mountain peak in Clark County, Nevada at about 1,205 m (3,953 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 7.6 km (4.7 mi) ESE of Sunrise Manor.
Frenchman Mountain is a mountain located east of Las Vegas, Nevada. Made up of rocks similar to those found on the bottom of the Grand Canyon, Frenchman Mountain formed when faulting elevated and tilted the rocks followed by erosion, giving it its sharp triangular profile. The mountain provides an example of the Great Unconformity with the tilted Paleozoic Tapeats Sandstone underlain by Paleoproterozoic Vishnu Schist, which is some of the oldest rock on the North American continent, having been created about two billion years ago. The peak lies on a north to north-northeast trending ridge about 2000 feet above the nearby valleys. Sunrise Mountain lies 3.6 miles (5.8 km) to the northeast adjacent to Nellis Air Force Base. The north end of the McCullough Range about 12 miles (19 km) to the south has a parallel trend. The River Mountains lie to the southeast. State Route 147 crosses...From the Wikipedia article “Frenchman Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Frenchman Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:44 AM | 90° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 60° ENE | 8:01 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:48 AM | 119° ESE | 4:30 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 42m |
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 | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 58m |
| February | 6:02 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:13 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:40 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 14h 05m |
| June | 4:53 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 36m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 23m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 33m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:15 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:22 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 5:50 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:01 PM | 10h 15m |
| December | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 43m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Frenchman Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:28 AM – 4:58 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:43 AM – 5:23 AM | 1.7 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:35 AM – 4:25 AM | 2.8 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:41 PM – 3:51 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:50 PM – 3:30 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:44 PM – 2:04 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:07 PM – 11:57 PM | 2.8 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:16 PM – 9:56 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:31 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.63 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 22% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (48%). 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 | 79 | 80 | 90 | 99 | 109 | 116 | 116 | 115 | 113 | 100 | 89 | 75 |
| Low °F | 20 | 21 | 26 | 33 | 39 | 51 | 68 | 62 | 47 | 29 | 23 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Frenchman Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Waterfall
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
BeachCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Las Vegas Bay Campground12.6 km (7.8 mi) · reservable
- Las Vegas Bay Campground12.6 km (7.8 mi)
- Boulder Beach Group Campsites24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Boulder Beach Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Lake Mead Rv Village24 km (15 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Frenchman Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Frenchman Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Frenchman Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Frenchman Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Frenchman Mountain?
How far is Frenchman Mountain from Sunrise Manor?
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.