Rib Mountain is a mountain peak in Marathon County, Wisconsin at about 585 m (1,919 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Rib Mountain, about 1.8 km (1.1 mi) away (Rib Mountain lies WNW of town).
Rib Mountain, also known as Rib Hill, is located in the village of Rib Mountain 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of downtown Wausau. Composed of quartzite covered with a softer syenite sheath, it was intruded about 1.5 billion years ago. Rib Mountain is home to the Rib Mountain State Park and the Granite Peak Ski Area, which opened in 1938 and now offers 65 runs Rib Mountain is almost 4 miles (6.4 km) long and rises to 1,924 feet (586 m) above sea level and 670 feet (200 m) above the local terrain, making it the fourth-highest point in Wisconsin. The Rib River and Little Rib River are nearby. It is on the west side of the Wisconsin River, just west of Interstate 39 and south of Highway 29. The nearby Wausau Downtown Airport at an elevation of 1,201 ft (366 m), is located just 3 mi (4.8 km) to the east.From the Wikipedia article “Rib Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rib Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 55° NE | 8:50 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 123° ESE | 4:21 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:20 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:58 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:42 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:19 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 48m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Rib Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:03 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:02 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 3:10 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:21 PM – 2:31 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 1:15 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:02 PM – 11:12 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 9:12 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 19.73 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 48% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 47 | 59 | 77 | 81 | 90 | 89 | 97 | 93 | 89 | 83 | 71 | 60 |
| Low °F | -41 | -27 | -22 | 3 | 25 | 36 | 45 | 41 | 31 | 21 | 0 | -30 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
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
- 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 Rib Mountain, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rib Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Rib Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rib Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rib Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rib Mountain?
How far is Rib Mountain from Rib 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.