Located in Sublette County, Wyoming, Mount Bonneville is a mountain peak at about 3,730 m (12,238 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Fort Washakie, about 40 km (25 mi) away (Mount Bonneville lies WSW of town).
Mount Bonneville (12,590 feet (3,840 m)) is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The summit is located in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, immediately west of the Continental Divide. Mount Bonneville is a distinctively iconic peak of the Wind River Range, and was named after explorer Benjamin Bonneville.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Bonneville”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Bonneville 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) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 56° ENE | 9:00 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:46 AM | 122° ESE | 4:47 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 01m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 20m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:35 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:28 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 02m |
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 Mount Bonneville, 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:58 AM – 5:48 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:01 AM – 4:51 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:03 AM – 3:53 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 3:14 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:02 PM – 1:52 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:09 PM – 11:59 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:55 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 40% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 43 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 84 | 89 | 94 | 91 | 87 | 74 | 60 | 45 |
| Low °F | -24 | -30 | -9 | 2 | 15 | 22 | 35 | 33 | 19 | -3 | -18 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
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 Mount Bonneville, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
WaterfallMountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Small Vehicle Campground18.4 km (11.5 mi)
- Big Sandy Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Boulder Lake Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- North Boulder Lake Campground30 km (18 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Bonneville?
What time is golden hour at Mount Bonneville?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Bonneville?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Bonneville?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Bonneville?
How far is Mount Bonneville from Fort Washakie?
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.