Located in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, Boars Tusk is a rock formation. It sits roughly 36 km (22 mi) N of North Rock Springs.
Boars Tusk is an isolated remains of a volcano within the Rock Springs Uplift in the Green River Basin of southwestern Wyoming. It has a peak elevation of 7,101 ft (2,164 m) and rises some 400 ft (120 m) above the surrounding Killpecker Creek plain and lies 26.2 mi (42.2 km) north of Rock Springs. The north end of White Mountain lies 3.0 mi (4.8 km) to the west. Boars Tusk is an isolated remnant of a long extinct volcano associated with the Leucite Hills to the east. The area was active roughly 2.5 million years ago during the Early Pleistocene epoch. All that remains of the volcano is part of the erosion resistant volcanic neck which is composed of the uncommon volcanic rock lamproite, specifically a variety called Wyomingite. Rock samples from Boars Tusk provided an age of 2.5 MA.From the Wikipedia article “Boars Tusk”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Boars Tusk the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 57° ENE | 8:56 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 14m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 122° ESE | 4:49 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 07m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 13m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 09m |
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 Boars Tusk, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:57 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:49 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:48 AM – 3:58 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 11:07 PM – 3:27 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:57 PM – 2:07 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 10:06 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 10:03 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.91 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 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 rock formation
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Boars Tusk, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Boars Tusk?
What time is golden hour at Boars Tusk?
Where does the sun rise and set at Boars Tusk?
Can you see the Milky Way from Boars Tusk?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Boars Tusk?
How far is Boars Tusk from North Rock Springs?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.