White Mountain is a mountain peak in Sweetwater County, Wyoming at about 2,321 m (7,615 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is North Rock Springs, about 8.6 km (5.3 mi) away (White Mountain lies SSW of town).
White Mountain is a long mountain located in central Sweetwater County, Wyoming, near the cities of Rock Springs and Green River. The mountain is part of the Green River Formation, and contains communications towers that serve a number of purposes. Hundreds of carved figures also dot the sandstone cliffs at the White Mountain Petroglyph site and range from 200 to 1,000 years old. Pilot Butte, located on top of White Mountain, is accessible from roads on the mountain.From the Wikipedia article “White Mountain (Wyoming)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At White Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:44 AM | 57° ENE | 8:56 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:41 AM | 121° ESE | 4:51 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 09m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:27 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:09 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 11m |
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 White Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:34 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:45 AM – 3:55 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:03 PM – 3:33 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 2:03 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 12:03 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 10:02 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:09 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.2 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 40% average cloud cover) and February 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 | 53 | 60 | 72 | 79 | 90 | 95 | 99 | 97 | 93 | 79 | 67 | 52 |
| Low °F | -17 | -15 | -2 | 11 | 20 | 28 | 42 | 37 | 24 | -1 | -7 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
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.
- 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 White Mountain, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph White Mountain?
What time is golden hour at White Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at White Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from White Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at White Mountain?
How far is White Mountain from North Rock Springs?
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.