Located in Burnet County, Texas, Granite Mountain is a mountain peak at about 279 m (915 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 2.7 km (1.7 mi) WNW of Marble Falls.
Granite Mountain is a solid dome, also known as a bornhardt, of pink granite (pink granite is also known as Sunset Red) rising over 860 feet one mile west of Marble Falls, Texas. Since quarry operations began in the late 19th century, the distinctive pink-red colored rock has been used in the construction of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, and also for the construction of the Galveston Seawall. In 1882, three businessmen and the owners of Granite Mountain, G. W. Lacy (of the Lacy Lans Ranch), N. L. Norton and W. H. Westfall, donated the amount of granite necessary to build the Texas State Capitol. The mountain no longer looks like a geographic feature because of the heavy mining, which has fully covered its surface. A similar but much larger area known as Enchanted Rock State Natural Area can be seen in its undisturbed state west of Marble Falls near Fredericksburg, Texas.From the Wikipedia article “Granite Mountain (Texas)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Granite Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:38 AM | 90° E | 7:45 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:32 AM | 62° ENE | 8:40 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 117° ESE | 5:37 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 10m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 23m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 07m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:16 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:26 PM | 12h 55m |
| May | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 42m |
| June | 6:03 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 07m |
| July | 6:15 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:05 PM | 13h 56m |
| August | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 16m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 27m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 37m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 11m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Granite Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:53 AM – 5:53 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:02 AM – 6:22 AM | 2.3 | 27° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:05 AM – 5:35 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 12:02 AM – 5:02 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:15 PM – 4:45 AM | 6.5 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:12 PM – 3:22 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 1:23 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 11:21 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:23 PM – 9:23 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.06 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (57%). August is the warmest month and January 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 | 85 | 92 | 92 | 101 | 103 | 107 | 111 | 110 | 107 | 100 | 90 | 85 |
| Low °F | 18 | 15 | 19 | 31 | 41 | 58 | 62 | 62 | 48 | 29 | 23 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
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
- 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 Granite Mountain, closest first.
Lake
Dark Sky Place
Natural Arch
Cave
State Park
Mountain Peak
Lake
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Granite Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Granite Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Granite Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Granite Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Granite Mountain?
How far is Granite Mountain from Marble Falls?
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.