Casper Mountain is a mountain peak in Natrona County, Wyoming at about 2,390 m (7,841 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mills, about 12.4 km (7.7 mi) away (Casper Mountain lies SSE of town).
Casper Mountain, an anticline, is located at the north end of the Laramie Mountains overlooking Casper, Wyoming along the North Platte River. At a top elevation of 8,130 feet (2,478 m), the geological feature rises approximately 3,000 feet (914 m) above Casper.From the Wikipedia article “Casper Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Casper Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 56° ENE | 8:48 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 122° ESE | 4:35 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 7:02 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 03m |
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 Casper Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:39 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:41 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:02 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 1:40 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 11:47 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 9:43 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.3 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 41% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 52 | 55 | 69 | 77 | 88 | 94 | 96 | 94 | 91 | 79 | 65 | 51 |
| Low °F | -22 | -30 | -7 | 2 | 11 | 26 | 41 | 37 | 17 | -5 | -9 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Casper Mountain, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Rim Campground7.9 km (4.9 mi)
- Lodgepole Campground7.9 km (4.9 mi)
- Buffaloberry Campground25 km (16 mi)
- Chalk Bluffs Campground25 km (16 mi)
- Golden Currant Campground26 km (16 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Casper Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Casper Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Casper Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Casper Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Casper Mountain?
How far is Casper Mountain from Mills?
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.