West Mountain is a mountain peak in Utah County, Utah at about 2,074 m (6,804 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.2 km (2.6 mi) NW of West Mountain.
West Mountain is a mountain in Utah, United States that is located 15.35 miles (25 km) southwest of the city of Provo, and 4.7 miles (8 km) west of the community of Benjamin. It is home to a radio station tower for KTCE, an FM station licensed to Payson and operating on 92.1 MHz. The mountain is also home to various FM radio translators and an observatory used by students from Brigham Young University (BYU). It can be accessed from a main road that starts near Benjamin. A small census designated place east of the mountain is known as West Mountain as well.From the Wikipedia article “West Mountain (Utah County, Utah)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At West Mountain 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 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:32 AM | 90° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 58° ENE | 9:01 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 121° ESE | 5:06 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 19m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:05 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:11 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 20m |
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 West Mountain, 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:34 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:44 AM – 6:04 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 5:02 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 4:16 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 11:01 PM – 3:51 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 2:23 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 12:27 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:19 PM – 8:29 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.38 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 34% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 50 | 56 | 67 | 74 | 84 | 90 | 96 | 92 | 88 | 79 | 65 | 49 |
| Low °F | -23 | -28 | -14 | -6 | 8 | 22 | 36 | 31 | 19 | 1 | -17 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.3 |
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
- 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.
- 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 West Mountain, closest first.
Canyon
State Park
CaveCave
Botanical GardenCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Maple Bench Campground17.8 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Maple Lake Campground18.5 km (11.5 mi) · reservable
- Tinney Flat22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Payson Lakes23 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Payson Lakes Guard Station24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph West Mountain?
What time is golden hour at West Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at West Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from West Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at West Mountain?
How far is West Mountain from West Mountain?
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.