Sheep Mountain — a mountain peak in Teton County, Wyoming at about 3,418 m (11,214 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 20 km (13 mi) ENE of Jackson.
Sheep Mountain (11,244 feet (3,427 m)) is located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Sheep Mountain forms a 5-mile (8 km) long ridge in the Gros Ventre Range and is easily seen from Jackson Hole. The town of Jackson is 13 miles (21 km) southwest of the peak. The southern end of Sheep Mountain is above the tree line and consists of rocky cliffs that are referred to as the "Sleeping Indian" due to their appearance as viewed from Jackson Hole. Sheep Mountain is in the Gros Ventre Wilderness of Bridger–Teton National Forest. At the northern end of Sheep Mountain is the location of the Gros Ventre landslide. In 1996, a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo plane carrying an automobile and equipment outbound from Jackson Hole crashed into Sheep Mountain, killing a U.S. Secret Service agent and eight Air Force personnel. The cargo plane was transporting equipment to another destination after U.S....From the Wikipedia article “Sheep Mountain (Teton County, Wyoming)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sheep Mountain 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 304° (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) | 7:26 AM | 90° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 56° NE | 9:07 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:53 AM | 123° ESE | 4:49 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 7:21 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:38 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:07 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:13 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:57 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 24m |
| July | 5:21 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:03 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:09 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:36 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Sheep Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:14 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:09 AM – 4:49 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:13 AM – 3:53 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:27 PM – 3:17 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:14 PM – 1:54 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 11:57 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:12 PM – 9:52 PM | 0.7 | 14° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.88 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
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Sheep Mountain, closest first.
Lake
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Wilderness Area
Scenic Viewpoint
Rock Formation
National Wildlife Refuge
Scenic Viewpoint
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sheep Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Sheep Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sheep Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sheep Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sheep Mountain?
How far is Sheep Mountain from Jackson?
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.