Cerro Pedernal — a mountain peak in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico at about 3,003 m (9,852 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 16.0 km (9.9 mi) E of Santa Teresa.
Cerro Pedernal, (Tewa: Tsee Pʼin, pronounced [tsìː pʼìŋ], lit. 'obsidian mountain') locally known as just "Pedernal", is a narrow mesa in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico. The name is Spanish for "flint hill". The basalt-capped peak lies on the north flank of the Jemez Mountains, south of Abiquiu Lake, in the Coyote Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest, near the boundary between the Colorado Plateau and the Abiquiu embayment of the Rio Grande Rift. Its highest point is at 9,866 feet (3,007 m). Pedernal is the source of a chert used by the prehistoric Gallina people. Its cliffs are popular with rock climbers. Georgia O'Keeffe made many paintings of it, and her ashes were scattered on its top. The Tewa name of the mountain is Tsee Pʼin (tsee, 'obsidian' + pʼin 'mountain'). The Cochiti name is Hésrt'e'yanyik'óthe (hésrt'e'yanyi 'obsidian' + k'óthe 'mountain').From the Wikipedia article “Cerro Pedernal”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cerro Pedernal 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) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 60° ENE | 8:27 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:14 AM | 119° ESE | 4:56 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 | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 58m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 05m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 36m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 23m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 33m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:22 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 16m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 43m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Cerro Pedernal, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:54 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:09 AM – 5:49 AM | 1.7 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:01 AM – 5:01 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:07 AM – 4:17 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:16 PM – 3:56 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:10 PM – 2:30 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:33 PM – 12:23 AM | 2.8 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 10:22 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:57 PM – 8:27 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: 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 ≈ 21.8 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 35% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 56 | 58 | 72 | 77 | 92 | 96 | 95 | 92 | 90 | 80 | 70 | 56 |
| Low °F | -17 | -11 | 0 | 16 | 20 | 31 | 44 | 41 | 23 | 13 | 4 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Cerro Pedernal, closest first.
Natural Arch
Mountain PeakNatural Arch
Rock Formation
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cerro Pedernal?
What time is golden hour at Cerro Pedernal?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cerro Pedernal?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cerro Pedernal?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cerro Pedernal?
How far is Cerro Pedernal from Santa Teresa?
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.