Mount Jefferson — a mountain peak in Nye County, Nevada at about 3,562 m (11,686 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Alta Toquima Wilderness. It sits roughly 179 km (111 mi) ESE of Fallon.
Mount Jefferson is the highest mountain in both the Toquima Range and Nye County in Nevada, United States. It is the sixth highest mountain in the state. As the high point of a range which is well separated from other ranges by low basins, Mount Jefferson has a high topographic prominence of 5,861 feet (1,786 m). This makes it the most prominent peak in Nye County and the third most prominent peak in Nevada (after Charleston Peak and Wheeler Peak). For similar reasons, it is also the highest mountain for over 90 miles in all directions. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of the county seat of Tonopah within the Alta Toquima Wilderness of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, near the smaller towns of Carvers and Round Mountain. Three distinct summits are located on a broad area of subalpine tundra: North Summit rises to 11,820 feet (3,603 m), Middle Summit to 11,692 feet...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Jefferson (Nevada)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Jefferson the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 59° ENE | 8:17 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:46 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:03 AM | 120° ESE | 4:30 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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 | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:03 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:10 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:04 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 6:30 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:41 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 28m |
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 Mount Jefferson, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 4:55 AM – 5:05 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:04 AM – 5:24 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:00 AM – 4:30 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:01 AM – 3:41 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:13 PM – 3:23 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:06 PM – 1:56 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:23 PM – 11:53 PM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:28 PM – 9:48 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:39 PM – 7:59 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (55%). 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 | 64 | 67 | 76 | 83 | 93 | 101 | 102 | 99 | 96 | 85 | 72 | 63 |
| Low °F | -3 | 5 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 28 | 46 | 43 | 28 | 16 | 5 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Jefferson, closest first.
Wilderness Area
State Park
Ghost TownFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Jefferson?
What time is golden hour at Mount Jefferson?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Jefferson?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Jefferson?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Jefferson?
How far is Mount Jefferson from Fallon?
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.