Snow Lake Peak is a mountain peak in Elko County, Nevada at about 3,318 m (10,886 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 21 km (13 mi) SE of Spring Creek.
Snow Lake Peak is the fifth-highest named mountain of the Ruby Mountains and the seventh highest in Elko County, in Nevada, United States. It is the forty-second-highest mountain in the state. It rises from the head of Box Canyon (above Snow Lake), is part of the headwall of Thomas Canyon (with Mount Fitzgerald), and is a prominent part of the west wall of Lamoille Canyon above Lamoille and Dollar Lakes. The peak is located within the Ruby Mountains Wilderness of the Ruby Mountains Ranger District in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Snow Lake Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Snow Lake Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:46 AM | 90° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 58° ENE | 8:17 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:30 AM | 89° E | 6:40 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:03 AM | 121° ESE | 4:18 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 16m |
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 | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:46 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 4:38 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:48 PM | 15h 04m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 48m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:10 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:43 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 17m |
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 Snow Lake Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 4:59 AM – 4:59 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:10 AM – 5:20 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 4:19 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:04 AM – 3:24 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:20 PM – 3:00 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:11 PM – 1:41 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:24 PM – 11:34 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:25 PM – 9:35 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:34 PM – 7:34 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.86 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 31% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 62 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 92 | 98 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 83 | 70 | 54 |
| Low °F | -18 | -6 | -1 | 15 | 19 | 27 | 42 | 40 | 26 | 8 | -8 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.0 |
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 Snow Lake Peak, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Wilderness Area
Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
Canyon
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Terraces Campground - Picnic Area3.8 km (2.4 mi) · reservable
- Thomas Canyon5.0 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
- Powerhouse Group Picnic Area10.6 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Snow Lake Peak?
What time is golden hour at Snow Lake Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Snow Lake Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Snow Lake Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Snow Lake Peak?
How far is Snow Lake Peak from Spring Creek?
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.