Ibapah Peak — a mountain peak in Juab County, Utah at about 3,663 m (12,018 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Grantsville, about 150 km (93 mi) away (Ibapah Peak lies SW of town).
Ibapah Peak is a 12,087-foot (3,684 m) summit in Juab County, Utah in the United States. It is the highest point of the Deep Creek Range and is located less than 5 miles (8.0 km) east of the Utah-Nevada border, and about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the town of Trout Creek, Utah. With a topographic prominence of 5,247 feet (1,599 m) it is the eighth-most prominent summit in Utah.From the Wikipedia article “Ibapah Peak (Juab County, Utah)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ibapah 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:40 AM | 90° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:08 AM | 58° ENE | 9:08 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 15h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 121° ESE | 5:15 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 21m |
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 | 7:26 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:37 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 9h 40m |
| February | 7:02 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:24 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 22m |
| June | 5:35 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:48 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:39 PM | 14h 59m |
| July | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:36 PM | 14h 43m |
| August | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:03 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:19 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:23 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 00m |
| December | 7:20 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 22m |
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 Ibapah Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:43 AM – 5:53 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:53 AM – 6:13 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:51 AM – 5:21 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:54 AM – 4:24 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 11:08 PM – 3:58 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:00 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.7 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 12:35 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:18 PM – 10:38 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:28 PM – 8:38 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ 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 30% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (63%). 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 | 65 | 65 | 77 | 85 | 94 | 101 | 104 | 102 | 98 | 86 | 73 | 62 |
| Low °F | -5 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 23 | 32 | 47 | 44 | 30 | 16 | 6 | -3 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Ibapah Peak, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ibapah Peak?
What time is golden hour at Ibapah Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ibapah Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ibapah Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ibapah Peak?
How far is Ibapah 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.