Diamond Peak is a mountain peak in Lane County, Oregon at about 2,644 m (8,675 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 36 km (22 mi) SE of Oakridge.
Diamond Peak is a volcano in Klamath and Lane counties of central Oregon in the United States. It is a shield volcano, though it might also be considered a modest stratocone. Diamond Peak forms part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Cascade Range in western North America extending from southern British Columbia through Oregon to Northern California. Reaching an elevation of 8,748 feet (2,666 m), the mountain is located near Willamette Pass in the Diamond Peak Wilderness within the Deschutes and Willamette national forests. Surrounded by coniferous forest and visible in the skyline from foothills near Eugene, Diamond Peak offers a few climbing routes and can be scrambled. Diamond Peak is one of Oregon's Matterhorns. The volcano, consisting mostly of basaltic andesite, has relatively steep slopes and an andesitic volcanic cone that contains pyroclastic materials at its...From the Wikipedia article “Diamond Peak (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Diamond Peak 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 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 123° ESE | 4:36 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:52 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 24m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Diamond Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:01 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:56 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 3:40 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 3:04 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:01 PM – 1:41 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 11:44 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 9:39 PM | 0.7 | 14° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.84 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 25% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). August 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 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 87 | 94 | 103 | 99 | 96 | 86 | 74 | 58 |
| Low °F | 1 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 36 | 37 | 31 | 21 | 0 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 8.5 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Diamond Peak, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Pass
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Lake
Lake
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Indigo Springs9.5 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Trapper Creek Campground10.9 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Whitefish Horse Camp11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Windy Group Camp11.7 km (7.3 mi) · reservable
- Timpanogas12.2 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Diamond Peak?
What time is golden hour at Diamond Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Diamond Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Diamond Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Diamond Peak?
How far is Diamond Peak from Oakridge?
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.