Red Mountain is a mountain peak in Benton County, Washington at about 380 m (1,247 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 5.3 km (3.3 mi) NE of Benton City.
Red Mountain is located in the southeast corner of Washington state near the Tri-Cities between Rattlesnake Mountain and Candy Mountain. This region is situated among the Columbia, Snake and Yakima Rivers. The mountain covers an area of approximately 4,040 acres (6.31 sq mi). Its name is derived from the red-wine springtime bloom of the drooping brome or "cheatgrass" on its slopes.From the Wikipedia article “Red Mountain (Benton County, Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Red Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 54° NE | 8:54 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 124° SE | 4:15 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 36m |
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 | 7:04 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:46 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 38m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Red Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:14 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:16 AM – 4:16 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:10 AM – 3:00 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:37 PM – 2:17 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:17 PM – 1:07 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:08 PM – 10:58 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:05 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 20.11 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 26% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 64 | 64 | 76 | 89 | 99 | 108 | 110 | 109 | 102 | 87 | 70 | 62 |
| Low °F | -3 | 7 | 12 | 27 | 33 | 42 | 49 | 48 | 34 | 19 | 15 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
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 Red Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Red Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Red Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Red Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Red Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Red Mountain?
How far is Red Mountain from Benton City?
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.