Santa Ana Canyon — a canyon in Riverside County, California — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Corona, about 9.8 km (6.1 mi) away (Santa Ana Canyon lies W of town).
Santa Ana Canyon (Spanish: Cañón de Santa Ana), or the Santa Ana Narrows, is the water gap where the Santa Ana River passes between the Santa Ana Mountains and the Chino Hills, near the intersection of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, California. It receives particularly strong Santa Ana winds in comparison to surrounding areas, hence the name. Originally, U.S. Route 91 ran through the canyon; however, it has long since been re-signed or upgraded along the entirety of its former right-of-way in the state. California State Route 91 is its primary successor.From the Wikipedia article “Santa Ana Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Santa Ana Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:55 AM | 90° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 61° ENE | 8:06 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:53 AM | 118° ESE | 4:46 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 54m |
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 | 6:29 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:32 PM | 10h 09m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:48 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 55m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 24m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 12m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 5:57 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:00 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:15 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 55m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Santa Ana Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:30 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:32 AM – 5:32 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:40 AM – 4:50 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:42 PM – 4:12 AM | 4.5 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:48 PM – 3:48 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:44 PM – 2:24 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:10 PM – 12:20 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:23 PM – 10:23 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:41 PM – 8:21 PM | 0.7 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.74 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 28% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (43%). August 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 | 85 | 85 | 87 | 93 | 95 | 97 | 100 | 98 | 102 | 101 | 91 | 82 |
| Low °F | 35 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 47 | 49 | 56 | 55 | 55 | 48 | 38 | 38 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.3 |
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
- A long lens on a tripod handles the low light inside canyons better than raising ISO.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Santa Ana Canyon, closest first.
State Park
Lake
Canyon
Canyon
Canyon
Botanical Garden
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Hot SpringFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Santa Ana Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Santa Ana Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Santa Ana Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Santa Ana Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Santa Ana Canyon?
How far is Santa Ana Canyon from Corona?
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.