Maiden Peak — a mountain peak in Deschutes County, Oregon at about 2,380 m (7,808 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 37 km (23 mi) W of La Pine.
Maiden Peak is a steep-sided shield volcano in the Cascade Range of central Oregon. It is the highest point in the 43-mile (69 km) distance between Mount Bachelor and Diamond Peak. Ice Age glaciers carved a large cirque into the northeast flank of the mountain, exposing magma which hardened in the volcano's conduits to form the numerous rock pinnacles now found in the upper part of the cirque. The summit of Maiden Peak consists of a steeper cinder cone which sits atop the underlying shield volcano. It is located on the Cascade Crest, which forms the boundary between Lane County and Deschutes County. Also, it is on the boundary between the Deschutes National Forest and the Willamette National Forest. A Forest Service fire lookout tower was built on the summit in 1923, but was removed in 1958. A 5.8-mile (9.3 km) trail zigzags up to the summit from the southwest.From the Wikipedia article “Maiden Peak (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Maiden 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) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 123° ESE | 4:35 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 | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:06 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:05 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Maiden Peak, 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 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 | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:56 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 3:30 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:15 PM – 2:55 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:02 PM – 1:42 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:05 PM – 11:35 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:38 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 ≈ 21.83 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 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 59 | 61 | 72 | 79 | 89 | 95 | 102 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 71 | 55 |
| Low °F | -16 | -5 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
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 Maiden Peak, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Pass
Lake
Waterfall
Waterfall
VolcanoWaterfallWaterfall
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Princess Creek Campground5.8 km (3.6 mi) · reservable
- Sunset Cove Campground7.1 km (4.4 mi) · reservable
- Gold Lake Campground (Or)8.0 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Trapper Creek Campground8.1 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Shadow Bay9.6 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Maiden Peak?
What time is golden hour at Maiden Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Maiden Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Maiden Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Maiden Peak?
How far is Maiden Peak from La Pine?
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.