Sierra Grande is a mountain peak in Union County, New Mexico at about 2,655 m (8,711 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 55 km (34 mi) ESE of Raton.
Sierra Grande is an extinct stratovolcano in northeastern New Mexico that rises 2,200 feet above the surrounding plain. It is part of the inactive Raton-Clayton volcanic field.From the Wikipedia article “Sierra Grande”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sierra Grande 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 301° (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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 60° ENE | 8:18 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:05 AM | 119° ESE | 4:44 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 39m |
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 | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 56m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 52m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 07m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 40m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 26m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:15 PM | 10h 13m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 40m |
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 Sierra Grande, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:44 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 1.7 | 21° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:52 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 11:59 PM – 3:59 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:09 PM – 3:39 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:03 PM – 2:13 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:24 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 10:13 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:47 PM – 8:17 PM | 0.5 | 14° | 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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 35% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (52%). 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 | 67 | 73 | 80 | 89 | 97 | 102 | 101 | 99 | 96 | 88 | 80 | 70 |
| Low °F | 4 | -6 | 6 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 49 | 48 | 29 | 13 | 9 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
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 Sierra Grande, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sierra Grande?
What time is golden hour at Sierra Grande?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sierra Grande?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sierra Grande?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sierra Grande?
How far is Sierra Grande from Raton?
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.