Located in Big Horn County, Wyoming, Mount Woolsey is a mountain peak at about 3,942 m (12,933 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 38 km (24 mi) W of Buffalo.
Mount Woolsey (12,982 feet or 3,957 metres) is located in the Bighorn Mountains in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is the third highest in the range after Cloud Peak, which is only 1.3 miles (2.1 km) to the south, and the summit is located in the Cloud Peak Wilderness of Bighorn National Forest. Black Tooth Mountain, the second highest mountain in the Bighorns, is an adjacent summit only .20 mi (0.32 km) to the northwest. Mount Woolsey is on a knife-like ridge known as an arête and is connected to both Black Tooth Mountain and Cloud Peak by this ridge. Along the arête is another mountain peak known as The Innominate. A small glacier lies below the arête to the southeast of Mount Woolsey. The first recorded ascent was made by a party comprising W. B. Willcox, Alan Willcox, Mary Willcox and T. H. Rawles who ascended the south ridge.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Woolsey”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Woolsey 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) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 55° NE | 8:57 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 123° ESE | 4:33 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 13m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 31m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:27 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:04 PM | 8h 52m |
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 Woolsey, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:03 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:00 AM – 4:30 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:07 AM – 3:27 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:25 PM – 2:55 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:10 PM – 1:30 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:09 PM – 11:29 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 9:31 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 May as the cloudiest (66%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 39 | 42 | 58 | 69 | 75 | 86 | 92 | 90 | 82 | 73 | 57 | 42 |
| Low °F | -34 | -32 | -21 | -10 | 6 | 21 | 33 | 27 | 11 | -15 | -21 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Mount Woolsey, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- West Tensleep Lake16.2 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- Medicine Lodge Lake Campground16.7 km (10.4 mi)
- Hunter Campground17.8 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Circle Park Campground19.8 km (12.3 mi) · reservable
- Middle Fork21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Woolsey?
What time is golden hour at Mount Woolsey?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Woolsey?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Woolsey?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Woolsey?
How far is Mount Woolsey from Buffalo?
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.