Timms Hill — a mountain peak in Price County, Wisconsin at about 591 m (1,939 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 32 km (20 mi) SSE of Phillips.
Timms Hill or Timm's Hill is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and is located in north-central Wisconsin in Timms Hill County Park in the Town of Hill in Price County. After being surveyed by Quentin Stevens of Ogema Telephone Co in 1962, Timms Hill was discovered to have an elevation of 1,951.5 ft (595 m). It is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Highway 86, about midway between Ogema and Spirit and about 23 miles (37 km) west of Tomahawk.From the Wikipedia article “Timms Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Timms Hill the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 55° NE | 8:54 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 124° ESE | 4:21 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:25 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:58 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:46 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Timms Hill, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:06 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:06 AM – 4:16 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:06 AM – 3:16 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:29 PM – 2:29 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:12 PM – 1:12 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 11:17 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:16 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: 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 ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 42 | 52 | 73 | 78 | 84 | 89 | 100 | 94 | 91 | 80 | 69 | 57 |
| Low °F | -43 | -28 | -31 | -1 | 24 | 38 | 44 | 38 | 28 | 14 | -10 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Timms Hill, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Eastwood24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Spearhead Point24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Spearhead Point Shelter24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- West Point Recreation Area24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Picnic Point (Wi)25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Timms Hill?
What time is golden hour at Timms Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Timms Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Timms Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Timms Hill?
How far is Timms Hill from Phillips?
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.