Sometimes due to a high ridge or other land feature, the time that the sun comes over the horizon and gives direct sunlight is different from the time calculated by a sunrise table. From personal experience it can be up to several hours later.
Is there a way to at least estimate the time of direct sunlight?
The solution is the same as for estimating the time until sunset. What you do is hold your arms straight out in front of you and then stack them up from level until you reach the horizon. Each hand is equal to approximately one hour.
This can be useful in situations where you have the option of camping on either the west or east sides of a high ridge. Camping on the east side will mean that the sun's warmth will reach you much earlier in the day, while the west side makes it easier to sleep in.
One place where this is very handy is the Uinta Highline Trail as you are repeatedly crossing high ridges that run north to south like this one and there is a large difference between sunrise and when the sun comes over the horizon,
As you can see, while it is light out, its going to be a while before the sun comes over the ridge and really starts warming things up.