Chicoma Mountain — a mountain peak in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico at about 3,517 m (11,539 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 15.0 km (9.3 mi) NNW of Los Alamos.
Chicoma Mountain (Tewa: Tsikumu Pʼin, pronounced [tsìkùmù pʼìŋ], lit. 'obsidian-covered mountain') is the highest point in the Jemez Mountains, a prominent mountain range in the U.S. State of New Mexico. The tree line in this area is exceptionally high, and the mountain is forested almost all the way to its summit which is conspicuous from the towns of Los Alamos, Santa Fe, and Española and other areas in the valley of the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico. Like the rest of the Jemez, it is of volcanic origin; it lies on the northeast rim of the Valles Caldera, one of the best examples of a caldera in the United States.From the Wikipedia article “Chicoma Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Chicoma 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 31° 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 | 8:26 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 119° ESE | 4:56 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 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 | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 59m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 36m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:22 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 16m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 44m |
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 Chicoma 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:54 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:59 AM – 5:49 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:00 AM – 5:00 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:06 AM – 4:16 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:15 PM – 3:55 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:09 PM – 2:29 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:32 AM | 3.0 | 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 | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.64 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
- 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.
- 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 Chicoma Mountain, closest first.
Natural ArchNatural Arch
VolcanoNatural Arch
Mountain Peak
Dark Sky Place
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ponderosa Group Campground (Nm)19.6 km (12.2 mi) · reservable
- Juniper Campground (Nm)25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Riana - Abiquiu Lake26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- San Antonio Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Redondo Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Chicoma Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Chicoma Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Chicoma Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Chicoma Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Chicoma Mountain?
How far is Chicoma Mountain from Los Alamos?
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.