De Beque Canyon — a canyon in Mesa County, Colorado — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Palisade, about 5.3 km (3.3 mi) away (De Beque Canyon lies NE of town).
De Beque Canyon is a narrow canyon on the Colorado River in western Colorado in the United States. It is approximately 15 miles (24 km) long, located on the river downstream from the town of De Beque, in eastern Mesa County. The canyon forms a narrow passage where the river passes along the western end of the Grand Mesa. At its lower end, the canyon opens out on the eastern end of the Grand Valley at the town of Palisade, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of Grand Junction. Interstate 70 follows the river through the canyon. Geologically the canyon walls are stairstep cliffs of Mesaverde Group, shoreline sands deposited during the Cretaceous. The sedimentary rock layers contain several low-sulfur coal seams that thicken to as much as 50 feet (15 m) at the Cameo Mine near Mile 46 on Interstate 70. The coal is typically soft bituminous coal, since it has never been compressed by...From the Wikipedia article “De Beque Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At De Beque Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:18 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:48 AM | 59° ENE | 8:44 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 120° ESE | 4:54 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 25m |
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 | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:03 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 26m |
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 De Beque Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:20 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:30 AM – 5:50 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 4:56 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 4:08 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:42 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 2:14 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 12:20 AM | 2.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 10:14 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:05 PM – 8:15 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.15 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ 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 36% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 56 | 59 | 73 | 82 | 96 | 100 | 102 | 98 | 95 | 85 | 69 | 54 |
| Low °F | -11 | -13 | 2 | 17 | 21 | 33 | 44 | 43 | 30 | 6 | -5 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
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 De Beque Canyon, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Moose Manor Cabin22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Jumbo Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Black Bear Cabin At Mesa Lakes (Co)23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Spruce Grove (Co)23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Island Lake Campground29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph De Beque Canyon?
What time is golden hour at De Beque Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at De Beque Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from De Beque Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at De Beque Canyon?
How far is De Beque Canyon from Palisade?
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.