Arizona: Walnut Canyon Bridge — a canyon in Coconino County, Arizona — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 21 km (13 mi) E of Flagstaff.
From the National Park Service
In 1922, the United States Bureau of Public Roads undertook a 23-mile road-building project along the Winslow Highway that stretched between Flagstaff and Angel through the Coconino National Forest in Arizona. The largest structure built as part of the project was the Walnut Canyon Bridge, which spans the canyon crossing Walnut Creek one mile northwest of Winona. Soon after its completion in 1924, the road and the bridge became part of Route 66.
After Arizona became a State in 1912, roads advocates began lobbying for assistance to upgrade Arizona’s roads. Individual counties had the primary responsibility for road building and maintenance in Arizona during the 1910s, and county governments were unable to meet the public demand for roads. Grades were rough and often treacherous, and bridges were few. In 1916, the Federal Government began distributing Federal money to State highway departments. Arizona received $3.7 million for the initial five-year program. In response, the existing State Engineer’s Office became the Arizona Highway Department, which quickly became the State’s largest agency. Right away, surveyors began work on the system that officially became Route 66 in 1926.
The 1922 Bureau of Public Roads projects were part of the period boom in road construction. Arizona received $216,507 in Forest Highway funds that year, part of a $6.5 million national appropriation for construction of highways through the country’s national forests. Federal engineers in Phoenix completed drawings for the Walnut Canyon Bridge in December 1922 and builders finished it by June of 1924.
The bridge employs a straightforward design. It has a single span of 101 feet and a 19-foot-wide roadbed. The superstructure is of riveted steel and uses a five-panel Parker through truss. Truss bridges have a combination of members, usually arranged in a triangular configuration, to form a rigid framework. A Parker truss includes an additional element: an upper polygonal chord. The substructure has concrete abutments and wing walls. The floor is a concrete deck over steel stringers. The bridge has steel lattice guardrails with concrete curbs. The design and materials were efficient.
Text: National Park Service (public domain) — nps.gov.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Arizona: Walnut Canyon Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:30 AM | 90° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 60° ENE | 7:44 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:14 AM | 89° E | 6:24 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 119° ESE | 5:18 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 47m |
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
Canyons need light from above: rims glow at sunrise and sunset, while deep or narrow sections are brightest near midday when reflected light bounces off the walls.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:07 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:12 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:34 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:28 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:25 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:23 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:51 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:12 PM | 14h 31m |
| July | 4:54 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 14h 18m |
| August | 5:19 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:43 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 5:44 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:00 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:07 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:07 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:17 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 48m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Arizona: Walnut Canyon Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:14 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:18 AM – 5:08 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:18 AM – 4:18 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:23 PM – 3:33 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:30 PM – 3:20 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:26 PM – 1:56 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:49 PM – 11:49 PM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:00 PM – 9:50 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:17 PM – 7:57 PM | 0.7 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.52 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 69 | 73 | 84 | 90 | 101 | 106 | 106 | 104 | 102 | 91 | 80 | 71 |
| Low °F | 4 | 3 | 14 | 22 | 28 | 39 | 53 | 50 | 37 | 18 | 12 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
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 canyon
- From the rim, sunrise and sunset side-light reveals layers; a telephoto picks out buttes and shadows.
- In narrow canyons, reflected light creates orange and purple glows; avoid including bright sky in the frame.
- Check flash flood forecasts before entering slot or narrow canyons — rain miles away can flood them.
- Dust and sand are hard on gear; change lenses in a bag or with your back to the wind.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Spring and autumn are comfortable; summer monsoon storms bring dramatic skies but higher flood risk in the Southwest.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Wide and telephoto lenses, Lens blower, Weather radio or app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Arizona: Walnut Canyon Bridge, closest first.
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Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Little Elden Springs Horsecamp16.1 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- Lakeview Campground (Az)17.5 km (10.9 mi) · reservable
- Canyon Vista18.9 km (11.7 mi) · reservable
- Oleary Group Site19.5 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
- Pinegrove21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
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Sources
Location data: National Park Service. 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.