Swasey Mountain is a mountain peak in Millard County, Utah at about 2,922 m (9,587 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Richfield, about 126 km (79 mi) away (Swasey Mountain lies WNW of town).
Swasey Mountain is the north section of the House Range of northwest Millard County, Utah, United States; the extreme north of Swasey Mountain extends into south Juab County. The Swasey Mountain section contains a north-trending ridge at the west, about 14-mi long; the south of the section is east–west, the mountain shaped like an "L". The south, an east–west section is a massif, with a circular section attached to the southeast. The highpoint of Swasey Mountain is at the southwest corner of the massif (the L-shape), and is Swasey Peak, 9,673 feet (2,948 m). Another highpoint north, near the center of the ridge line, is Tatow Knob, 8,416 feet (2,565 m). Swasey Mountain is named for rancher Charles Swasey. The section of the House Range attached to the south is a shorter, north-trending ridgeline section, Middle Ridge, with mountain passes on both ends; the north has Antelope Springs...From the Wikipedia article “Swasey Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Swasey Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (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) | 7:38 AM | 90° E | 7:46 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:07 AM | 58° ENE | 9:04 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 120° ESE | 5:14 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 23m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:33 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:04 PM | 9h 42m |
| February | 6:59 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:50 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 20m |
| June | 5:34 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:35 PM | 14h 56m |
| July | 5:48 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:32 PM | 14h 41m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 25m |
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 Swasey Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | 5:40 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:50 AM – 6:10 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 5:17 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:50 AM – 4:20 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 4:04 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:56 PM – 2:36 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 12:31 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:15 PM – 10:35 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:25 PM – 8:35 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: 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 ≈ 21.89 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Swasey Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Swasey Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Swasey Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Swasey Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Swasey Mountain?
How far is Swasey Mountain from Richfield?
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.