Burke Canyon — a canyon in Shoshone County, Idaho — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Osburn, about 10.9 km (6.8 mi) away (Burke Canyon lies E of town).
Burke Canyon is the canyon of the Burke-Canyon Creek, which runs through the northernmost part of Shoshone County, Idaho, U.S., within the northeastern Silver Valley. A hotbed for mining in the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Burke Canyon now contains several ghost towns and remnants of former communities along Idaho State Highway 4, which runs northeast through the narrow canyon to the Montana border. Burke Canyon takes its name from the town of Burke; settlers arrived in the canyon in 1884 after silver, lead, and zinc were found in mines throughout. Between 1886 and 1890, numerous mining communities developed in the canyon. Many of the communities in Burke Canyon saw multiple labor disputes, namely the Coeur d'Alene labor strike of 1892 and the confrontation of 1899, which resulted in violent conflict between miners and mine owners.From the Wikipedia article “Burke Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Burke Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:47 AM | 53° NE | 8:45 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:31 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 125° SE | 3:55 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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 | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:17 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:31 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:51 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:06 AM | 4:46 AM | 5:34 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 4:24 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 36m |
| August | 5:07 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:28 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:37 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 19m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:18 AM | 3:01 PM | 3:54 PM | 4:29 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Burke Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 5:12 AM – 5:12 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:17 AM – 3:57 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:16 AM – 2:36 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:47 PM – 1:37 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:18 PM – 12:38 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:01 PM – 10:31 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.88 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 35% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 47 | 52 | 63 | 76 | 83 | 96 | 99 | 101 | 91 | 81 | 59 | 44 |
| Low °F | -21 | -24 | -18 | 7 | 19 | 28 | 35 | 36 | 18 | -4 | -15 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
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
- Dust and sand are hard on gear; change lenses in a bag or with your back to the wind.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Burke Canyon, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shoshone Park Kitchen10.5 km (6.5 mi) · reservable
- Arid Peak Lookout18.5 km (11.5 mi) · reservable
- Avery Creek Cabin20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Jackpine Flats Campground25 km (15 mi)
- Kit Price28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Burke Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Burke Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Burke Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Burke Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Burke Canyon?
How far is Burke Canyon from Osburn?
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.