Located in Quay County, New Mexico, Tucumcari Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,509 m (4,951 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Tucumcari, about 4.9 km (3.0 mi) away (Tucumcari Mountain lies SSE of town).
Tucumcari Mountain, once referred to as Tucumcari Peak or Mesa Tucumcari, is a mesa situated just outside Tucumcari, New Mexico. Where the mountain got its name is uncertain. It may have come from the Comanche word "tukamukaru", which means to lie in wait for someone or something to approach. A 1777 burial record mentions a Comanche woman and her child captured in a battle at Cuchuncari, which is believed to be an early version of the name Tucumcari.From the Wikipedia article “Tucumcari Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tucumcari 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 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:59 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 60° ENE | 8:13 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:00 AM | 119° ESE | 4:47 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 47m |
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 | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:20 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 31m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 18m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:03 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:07 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 48m |
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 Tucumcari Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:43 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:47 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:47 AM – 4:47 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:52 PM – 4:02 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:59 PM – 3:49 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:55 PM – 2:25 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:18 PM – 12:18 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:29 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:46 PM – 8:26 PM | 0.7 | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.23 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 34% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (50%). 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 | 73 | 80 | 87 | 96 | 102 | 108 | 109 | 105 | 99 | 94 | 85 | 73 |
| Low °F | 14 | 1 | 11 | 23 | 31 | 46 | 54 | 53 | 35 | 19 | 14 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
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.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tucumcari Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Tucumcari Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tucumcari Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tucumcari Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tucumcari Mountain?
How far is Tucumcari Mountain from Tucumcari?
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.