Located in Elko County, Nevada, Spruce Mountain is a mountain peak at about 3,119 m (10,233 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 67 km (42 mi) ESE of Spring Creek.
Spruce Mountain is a mountain in Elko County, Nevada, United States. It was named from the spruce timber near the summit. Spruce Mountain ranks twenty-fifth among the most topographically prominent peaks in the state. The summit is at 10,267 feet (3,129 m). Spruce Mountain is on a northeast–southwest trending ridge with a parallel Spruce Ridge to the northwest. To the east, a low section of hills connects the mountain to the south end of the Pequop Mountains. US Route 93 passes the southwest end of the mountain. The peak is on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and thus has no access restrictions. The western side of the mountain was the site of copper, silver, and lead mining during the late 19th century. The settlement of Sprucemont on the western slope of the mountain supported the mining activity and existed from 1868 through about 1900 and is now a ghost...From the Wikipedia article “Spruce Mountain (Nevada)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Spruce Mountain 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) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 58° ENE | 8:14 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:28 AM | 89° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:00 AM | 121° ESE | 4:16 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 | 6:31 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:43 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 36m |
| February | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:33 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:47 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:46 PM | 15h 03m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 48m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:17 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:28 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:28 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:07 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 6:26 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:40 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:45 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 Spruce Mountain, 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 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 | 4:56 AM – 4:56 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:07 AM – 5:17 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:06 AM – 4:16 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:01 AM – 3:21 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:17 PM – 2:57 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:08 PM – 1:38 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:21 PM – 11:31 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:22 PM – 9:32 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:31 PM – 7:31 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 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 33% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 65 | 62 | 77 | 86 | 95 | 102 | 104 | 99 | 99 | 86 | 72 | 59 |
| Low °F | -12 | -3 | 2 | 18 | 21 | 28 | 45 | 43 | 29 | 11 | 4 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Spruce Mountain, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Spruce Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Spruce Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Spruce Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Spruce Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Spruce Mountain?
How far is Spruce Mountain 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.