Located in Riverside County, California, Tahquitz Canyon is a canyon. It sits roughly 16.4 km (10.2 mi) SSW of Vista Santa Rosa. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tahquitz Canyon (, sometimes ) is located in Palm Springs, California on a section of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The canyon descends from the Riverside County San Jacinto Mountains. It was continually inhabited for at least 5,000 years by the Native American Cahuilla people, and is one of many canyons of cultural significance to the Cahuilla. Today it is a nature preserve open to the public that is overseen by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. A second location in Riverside County also bears the name Tahquitz Canyon. It is a branch canyon of the larger Martinez Canyon in the Santa Rosa Mountains, and is located at the geographic coordinates 33°30′05″N 116°18′30″W.From the Wikipedia article “Tahquitz Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tahquitz 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) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 61° ENE | 7:59 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:46 AM | 118° ESE | 4:42 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 56m |
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 | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:05 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:56 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:42 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:26 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:25 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 5:51 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:54 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:10 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 57m |
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 Tahquitz Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:24 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:26 AM – 5:26 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:23 AM – 4:43 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:25 PM – 4:05 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:40 PM – 3:50 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:36 PM – 2:26 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:03 PM – 12:23 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:17 PM – 10:17 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:35 PM – 8:15 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: 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 ≈ 20.71 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 15% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (41%). 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 | 84 | 90 | 94 | 100 | 109 | 117 | 118 | 115 | 115 | 104 | 92 | 82 |
| Low °F | 26 | 28 | 33 | 37 | 42 | 48 | 59 | 56 | 48 | 40 | 30 | 28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.3 |
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.
- 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 Tahquitz Canyon, closest first.
Wilderness Area
National Forest
Mountain Peak
Scenic Viewpoint
Canyon
Botanical Garden
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ribbonwood Equestrian Cg15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Pinyon Flat Campground (San Bernardino National Forest)16.6 km (10.3 mi) · reservable
- Pinyon Flat Campground16.6 km (10.3 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tahquitz Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Tahquitz Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tahquitz Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tahquitz Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tahquitz Canyon?
How far is Tahquitz Canyon from Vista Santa Rosa?
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.