Located in Washington County, Utah, Signal Peak is a mountain peak at about 3,158 m (10,361 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Toquerville, about 19.8 km (12.3 mi) away (Signal Peak lies WNW of town).
Signal Peak, with an elevation of 10,369 feet (3,160 m), is the highest peak in the Pine Valley Mountains and in Washington County in southwestern Utah, United States. Signal Peak is located north of the city of St. George and south of the community of Pine Valley in the Dixie National Forest. The summit is the highest point in the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness. Signal Peak is in the watershed of tributaries of the Virgin River, which itself is a tributary of the Colorado River. A trail to the top can be found at Oak Grove campground near the neighboring city of Leeds, Utah.From the Wikipedia article “Signal Peak (Utah)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Signal Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (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 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:38 AM | 90° E | 7:46 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:14 AM | 59° ENE | 8:59 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 44m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 119° ESE | 5:20 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 35m |
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 | 7:19 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:27 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:09 PM | 9h 53m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:20 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:08 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:57 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 10m |
| June | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 43m |
| July | 5:56 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 29m |
| August | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 36m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 11m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 36m |
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 Signal Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:32 AM – 5:52 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:38 AM – 6:08 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:31 AM – 5:21 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:40 AM – 4:40 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:50 PM – 4:20 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:44 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 12:54 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 9:12 PM – 10:52 PM | 1.7 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:25 PM – 8:45 PM | 0.3 | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.5 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 22% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (51%). 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 | 68 | 70 | 80 | 86 | 96 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 101 | 87 | 77 | 62 |
| Low °F | -3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 26 | 37 | 52 | 48 | 32 | 16 | 10 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
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 Signal Peak, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Area
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Natural Arch
State Park
State Park
Wilderness Area
CanyonCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Pine Valley Recreation Area 6.7 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Pine Valley Guard Station6.8 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Red Cliffs Campground13.4 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
- Baker Dam Campground 14.9 km (9.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Signal Peak?
What time is golden hour at Signal Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Signal Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Signal Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Signal Peak?
How far is Signal Peak from Toquerville?
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.