Mount Emmons — a mountain peak in Duchesne County, Utah at about 4,090 m (13,419 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Ashley National Forest. The nearest town is Roosevelt, about 53 km (33 mi) away (Mount Emmons lies NNW of town).
Mount Emmons (or Emmons Peak) is a summit in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. It is located within the Ashley National Forest and the High Uintas Wilderness. It is situated about 5.76 miles (9.27 km) southeast of Kings Peak and has an elevation of 13,448 feet (4,099 m). It was named for geologist Samuel Franklin Emmons (as was another peak in Colorado). Mount Emmons is also the name of a very small community 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of the town of Altamont, Utah. and about 25 miles (40 km) south of Emmons Peak.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Emmons (Utah)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Emmons 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) | 7:25 AM | 90° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 58° ENE | 8:57 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 121° ESE | 4:58 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 15m |
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 | 7:14 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:55 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 27m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 04m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 49m |
| August | 6:03 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:10 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 16m |
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 Mount Emmons, 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 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:49 AM – 5:59 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:59 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:45 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:01 PM – 3:41 AM | 4.7 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 2:12 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 10:15 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:13 PM – 8:13 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: 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 ≈ 21.81 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 38% average cloud cover) and April as the cloudiest (59%). 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 | 45 | 51 | 62 | 70 | 81 | 88 | 93 | 90 | 85 | 76 | 62 | 49 |
| Low °F | -28 | -35 | -20 | -2 | 2 | 20 | 32 | 28 | 16 | -2 | -15 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
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.
- 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 Mount Emmons, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Yellowstone Group Campground19.1 km (11.8 mi) · reservable
- Moon Lake Group Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Moon Lake Guard Station 24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Moon Lake Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- China Meadows Trailhead Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Emmons?
What time is golden hour at Mount Emmons?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Emmons?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Emmons?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Emmons?
How far is Mount Emmons from Roosevelt?
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.