Truchas Peak is a mountain peak in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico at about 3,976 m (13,045 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Chimayo, about 28 km (17 mi) away (Truchas Peak lies E of town).
Truchas Peak (more precisely, South Truchas Peak; Tewa: Kʼuseˀ Pʼin, pronounced [kʼùsèʔ pʼìŋ], lit. 'rock-horn mountain') is the second highest peak in the U.S. State of New Mexico behind Wheeler Peak. It is in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains 26 miles (42 km) northeast of Santa Fe. It lies within the Pecos Wilderness, part of the Santa Fe National Forest. (The north end of the mountain borders on the Carson National Forest.) The name of the peak is Spanish for "trout" (plural). It is the highest point in both Rio Arriba and Mora counties. It is also the most southerly peak and land area in the continental United States to rise above 13,000 feet (3,962 m). The entire mountain is a small north-south trending massif with four identifiable summits, North Truchas Peak, Middle Truchas Peak, "Medio Truchas Peak" (unofficial name), and South Truchas Peak, the highest. Of the three subsidiary...From the Wikipedia article “Truchas Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Truchas Peak 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) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 60° ENE | 8:23 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 119° ESE | 4:53 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 43m |
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 | 6:45 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 59m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:26 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:24 PM | 10h 16m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:19 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 Truchas Peak, 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 | 4:51 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:56 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:57 AM – 4:57 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:03 AM – 4:13 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:12 PM – 3:52 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:06 PM – 2:26 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:29 PM – 12:29 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:54 PM – 8:24 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: 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 ≈ 21.78 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 33% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (54%). 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 | 64 | 66 | 77 | 83 | 95 | 100 | 100 | 95 | 94 | 84 | 72 | 66 |
| Low °F | 1 | -7 | 6 | 20 | 23 | 36 | 49 | 47 | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
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.
- 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 Truchas Peak, closest first.
Waterfall
Wilderness AreaWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Jacks Creek Group Area13.5 km (8.4 mi) · reservable
- Santa Barbara Campground14.4 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Panchuela 14.9 km (9.2 mi) · reservable
- Holy Ghost Group Area21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Black Canyon Campground (Santa Fe National Forest, Nm)22 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Truchas Peak?
What time is golden hour at Truchas Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Truchas Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Truchas Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Truchas Peak?
How far is Truchas Peak from Chimayo?
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.