Navajo Mountain is a mountain peak in San Juan County, Utah at about 3,148 m (10,328 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 52 km (32 mi) NNE of Kaibito.
Navajo Mountain (Navajo: Naatsisʼáán meaning "Earth Head") is a peak in San Juan County, Utah, with its southern flank extending into Coconino County, Arizona, in the United States. It holds an important place in the traditions of three local Native American tribes. The summit is the highest point on the Navajo Nation.From the Wikipedia article “Navajo Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Navajo Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:28 AM | 90° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:05 AM | 60° ENE | 8:47 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 119° ESE | 5:11 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 37m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:57 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:24 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:47 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:33 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 41m |
| July | 5:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 36m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 38m |
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 Navajo Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:21 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:27 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 5:10 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 4:28 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:37 PM – 4:07 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 2:41 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 12:42 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 9:00 PM – 10:40 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:14 PM – 8:44 PM | 0.5 | 14° | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (51%). 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 | 66 | 69 | 81 | 89 | 101 | 105 | 108 | 105 | 102 | 92 | 78 | 64 |
| Low °F | 3 | 1 | 18 | 22 | 28 | 40 | 54 | 53 | 35 | 16 | 16 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Navajo Mountain, closest first.
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural Arch
Dark Sky Place
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Navajo Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Navajo Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Navajo Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Navajo Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Navajo Mountain?
How far is Navajo Mountain from Kaibito?
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.