Located in Twin Falls County, Idaho, Snake River Canyon is a canyon. It sits roughly 5.5 km (3.4 mi) NE of Twin Falls.
Snake River Canyon is a canyon formed by the Snake River in the Magic Valley region of southern Idaho, forming part of the boundary between Twin Falls County to the south and Jerome County to the north. The canyon ranges up to 500 feet (150 meters) deep and 0.25 miles (0.40 kilometers) wide, and runs for just over 50 miles. Perrine Bridge crosses the canyon immediately north of the city of Twin Falls; Hansen Bridge crosses the canyon to the east of Twin Falls. Shoshone Falls is located approximately 5 miles (8.0 kilometers) east of Perrine Bridge along the canyon. The canyon continues through Glenns Ferry and south of Boise, making it longer than 50 miles.From the Wikipedia article “Snake River Canyon (Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Snake River Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 57° ENE | 9:20 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:05 AM | 122° ESE | 5:08 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 03m |
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 | 7:34 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:49 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:01 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 7:07 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:44 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:18 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:18 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:23 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 7:29 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:47 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 04m |
Local time (America/Boise), 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 Snake River Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 5:19 AM – 6:09 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:12 AM – 5:12 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 1:22 AM – 4:12 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:33 PM – 3:43 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:21 PM – 2:21 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:29 PM – 12:19 AM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:16 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.84 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 32% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 64 | 62 | 76 | 88 | 100 | 106 | 109 | 104 | 102 | 92 | 73 | 58 |
| Low °F | -15 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 24 | 31 | 45 | 44 | 32 | 16 | -5 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
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 Snake River Canyon, closest first.
Waterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Snake River Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Snake River Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Snake River Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Snake River Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Snake River Canyon?
How far is Snake River Canyon from Twin Falls?
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.