Ben Lomond Mountain is a mountain peak in Weber County, Utah at about 2,951 m (9,682 ft) above sea level. It is part of Wasatch–Cache National Forest. It sits roughly 5.6 km (3.5 mi) NNE of Pleasant View.
Ben Lomond, just north of Ogden, Utah, is a peak in the northern portion of the Wasatch Mountains. A popular trail passes over its summit (elevation 9,716 feet (2,961 m)), accessible from four different trailheads to the north, south, and east. It is often incorrectly referred to by locals as Ben Lomond Peak, Mt. Ben Lomond, or Ben Lomond Mountain. The usage Mount Ben Lomond is technically a redundancy since the prefix Ben – added to many Scottish mountains including Ben Lomond after which this mountain was named – actually means mount. That is why Scottish mountains whose names begin with Ben are never preceded by Mount. The United States Geological Survey labels it as Ben Lomond on its maps.From the Wikipedia article “Ben Lomond Mountain (Utah)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ben Lomond Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:32 AM | 90° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:55 AM | 57° ENE | 9:05 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 121° ESE | 5:02 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 11m |
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 | 7:22 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:54 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 09m |
| July | 5:35 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:49 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 12m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Ben Lomond Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:45 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:57 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 5:07 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:54 AM – 4:14 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:12 PM – 3:42 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:02 PM – 2:22 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 12:13 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:13 PM – 10:13 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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 ≈ 19.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 34% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). July 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 | 53 | 53 | 69 | 75 | 86 | 92 | 97 | 93 | 89 | 80 | 65 | 50 |
| Low °F | -19 | -23 | -4 | 4 | 18 | 25 | 37 | 35 | 22 | 1 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
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.
- 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 Ben Lomond Mountain, closest first.
Dark Sky Place
Canyon
Canyon
Natural Arch
National Wildlife RefugeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Box Elder Campground14.4 km (9.0 mi) · reservable
- Port Ramp Marina15.6 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
- Maples Campground17.0 km (10.6 mi)
- Cemetery Point Picnic Area17.3 km (10.8 mi) · reservable
- Middle Inlet Group Day Use18.1 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ben Lomond Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Ben Lomond Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ben Lomond Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ben Lomond Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ben Lomond Mountain?
How far is Ben Lomond Mountain from Pleasant View?
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.