Broken Top — a mountain peak in Deschutes County, Oregon at about 2,756 m (9,042 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Sisters, about 26 km (16 mi) away (Broken Top lies SSW of town).
Broken Top is a glacially eroded complex stratovolcano. It lies in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, part of the extensive Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located southeast of the Three Sisters peaks, the volcano, residing within the Three Sisters Wilderness, is 20 miles (32 km) west of Bend, Oregon, in Deschutes County. Eruptive activity stopped roughly 100,000 years ago, and erosion by glaciers has since reduced the volcano's cone to where its contents are exposed. There are two named glaciers on the peak, Bend and Crook Glacier. Diverse species of flora and fauna inhabit the area, which is subject to frequent snowfall, occasional rain, and extreme temperature variation between seasons. Broken Top and its surrounding area constitute popular destinations for hiking, climbing, and scrambling.From the Wikipedia article “Broken Top”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Broken Top the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 123° ESE | 4:32 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:47 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 54m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Broken Top, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:56 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:01 AM – 3:31 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:17 PM – 2:57 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:03 PM – 1:33 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:05 PM – 11:35 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.66 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 65 | 65 | 77 | 84 | 94 | 100 | 103 | 102 | 98 | 88 | 72 | 58 |
| Low °F | -8 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 30 | 17 | 3 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
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
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Broken Top, closest first.
Volcano
Volcano
Waterfall
LakeVolcano
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Glacier
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Three Creeks Lake Campground5.6 km (3.5 mi) · reservable
- Driftwood Campground - Deschutes5.9 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- Soda Creek Campground6.7 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Three Creeks Meadow Horse Camp7.3 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Three Creeks Meadow Campground7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Broken Top?
What time is golden hour at Broken Top?
Where does the sun rise and set at Broken Top?
Can you see the Milky Way from Broken Top?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Broken Top?
How far is Broken Top from Sisters?
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.