Located in Teton County, Wyoming, Ranger Peak is a mountain peak at about 3,454 m (11,332 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to Grand Teton National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Driggs, about 36 km (22 mi) away (Ranger Peak lies NE of town).
Ranger Peak (11,360 feet (3,460 m)) is in the northern Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The peak is located slightly northwest of and across Jackson Lake from Colter Bay Village. Colter Canyon is to the north while Waterfalls Canyon is immediately southeast of the peak, but there are no maintained trails in the area. Access to the summit involves off trail hiking and scrambling. The top of the mountain is more than 4,500 feet (1,400 m) above Jackson Lake. On March 7, 2012, Chris Onufer and Steve Romeo, both local residents and considered expert skiers, were killed by an avalanche on Ranger Peak. The avalanche originated in a couloir on the north side of Waterfalls Canyon at the 10,300 ft (3,100 m) level and traveled more than 3,000 ft (910 m) down the mountain slope into the canyon.From the Wikipedia article “Ranger Peak (Wyoming)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ranger Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:27 AM | 90° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 56° NE | 9:10 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 123° ESE | 4:49 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:40 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:07 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:10 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Ranger Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:16 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:12 AM – 4:52 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:33 PM – 3:13 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:19 PM – 1:49 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 11:51 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:14 PM – 9:44 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.93 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 July as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 33 | 33 | 52 | 69 | 78 | 85 | 92 | 89 | 83 | 74 | 57 | 37 |
| Low °F | -32 | -31 | -23 | -10 | 5 | 22 | 28 | 29 | 18 | -3 | -19 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.9 |
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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Ranger Peak, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Canyon
Mountain PeakMountain Peak
Hot SpringCanyon
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Colter Bay Marina End Ties10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Colter Bay Rv Park10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Colter Bay Campground10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Lizard Creek Campground10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Colter Bay Tent Village10.7 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ranger Peak?
What time is golden hour at Ranger Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ranger Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ranger Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ranger Peak?
How far is Ranger Peak from Driggs?
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.