Deseret Peak — a mountain peak in Tooele County, Utah at about 3,349 m (10,988 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Wasatch–Cache National Forest. The nearest town is Grantsville, about 21 km (13 mi) away (Deseret Peak lies SW of town).
Deseret Peak is the highest peak in the Stansbury Mountains with an elevation of 11,035 ft. It is located in the Deseret Peak Wilderness area west of Grantsville, Utah and east of Skull Valley Indian Reservation. It is the fourth most topographically prominent peak in the state of Utah. The site is a popular destination for hikers and backcountry skiers as the area is a contrast of the alpine wilderness with the surrounding desert basin. The trail that leads to the peak is easily accessible from Salt Lake City. The mountain offers views of the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Great Salt Lake, and the surrounding towns and mountain ranges. On a clear day, it is possible to see Mount Nebo, the highest peak in the adjacent Wasatch Mountains. From the parking area, there is a 7.4-mile out and back trail that gains 3,595 feet to the summit. The upper portions of the parking lot are closed...From the Wikipedia article “Deseret Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Deseret Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (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 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:35 AM | 90° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 58° ENE | 9:05 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 121° ESE | 5:08 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 17m |
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 | 8:34 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 36m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:19 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:44 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 5:27 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 03m |
| July | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 47m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:45 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:19 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 57m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 18m |
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 Deseret Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:48 AM – 5:48 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:59 AM – 6:09 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:58 AM – 5:08 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 4:13 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 11:09 PM – 3:49 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:00 PM – 2:30 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 12:23 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 9:14 PM – 10:24 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:23 PM – 8:23 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.35 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 33% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 60 | 61 | 74 | 84 | 95 | 99 | 104 | 101 | 97 | 87 | 71 | 56 |
| Low °F | -12 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 25 | 36 | 49 | 47 | 31 | 16 | 4 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Deseret Peak, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Loop Campground (Ut)3.7 km (2.3 mi) · reservable
- Upper Narrows4.7 km (2.9 mi) · reservable
- Lower Narrows Campground4.7 km (2.9 mi) · reservable
- Boy Scout5.4 km (3.4 mi) · reservable
- Intake Campground6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Deseret Peak?
What time is golden hour at Deseret Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Deseret Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Deseret Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Deseret Peak?
How far is Deseret Peak from Grantsville?
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.