Grizzly Mountain — a mountain peak in Crook County, Oregon at about 1,710 m (5,610 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Prineville, about 18.1 km (11.2 mi) away (Grizzly Mountain lies NNW of town).
Grizzly Mountain is located in Crook County, Central Oregon near the city of Prineville. Its summit is at 5,629 feet (1,716 m). It is composed of welded tuff and is a part of the Crooked River caldera.From the Wikipedia article “Grizzly Mountain (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Grizzly Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (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) | 7:08 AM | 90° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 55° NE | 8:53 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 123° ESE | 4:28 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 13m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 31m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 13m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 52m |
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 Grizzly Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:58 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:02 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:20 PM – 2:50 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 11:24 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 6.0+ 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 (73%). 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 | 62 | 63 | 75 | 83 | 93 | 98 | 104 | 101 | 99 | 89 | 71 | 57 |
| Low °F | -11 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 25 | 31 | 38 | 37 | 28 | 15 | -2 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Grizzly Mountain, closest first.
Ghost Town
State Park
State Park
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Haystack Campground (East Shore)16.1 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- South Shore Group Sites16.5 km (10.3 mi)
- South Shore Group Campground16.5 km (10.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Grizzly Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Grizzly Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Grizzly Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Grizzly Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Grizzly Mountain?
How far is Grizzly Mountain from Prineville?
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.