Cooke's Canyon is a canyon in Luna County, New Mexico. The nearest town is Keeler Farm, about 18.9 km (11.7 mi) away (Cooke's Canyon lies NE of town).
Cooke's Canyon or Cookes Canyon is a valley and ephemeral stream located on the eastern slope of the Cookes Range in Luna County, New Mexico. It has its source at 32°28′20″N 107°40′47″W, north of Massacre Peak. The mouth of Cooke's Canyon is at its confluence with Fort Cummings Draw. Cooke's Canyon is named for Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke, who commanded the Mormon Battalion from Santa Fe to San Diego, California during the Mexican–American War. Their task was to establish a wagon road, which later was called Cooke's Wagon Road and became the primary route used by the Southern Emigrant Trail. The Mormon Battalion crossed Cooke's Canyon on 17 November 1846. The upper part of Cooke's Canyon is part of what was called Cooke's Pass, a narrow gap, running east and west, through which the Southern Emigrant Trail passed through the Cookes Range.From the Wikipedia article “Cooke's Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cooke's 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 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:05 AM | 61° ENE | 8:21 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:09 AM | 118° ESE | 5:10 PM | 243° WSW | 34° | 10h 01m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 15m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:28 AM | 5:23 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:22 PM | 11h 03m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 5:46 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 49m |
| June | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 16m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 05m |
| August | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 21m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:16 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:37 PM | 10h 30m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 02m |
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 Cooke's Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 29° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:39 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:50 AM – 5:50 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:46 AM – 5:06 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:46 PM – 4:36 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:01 PM – 4:21 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:57 PM – 2:47 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:25 PM – 12:45 AM | 3.3 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:50 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:00 PM – 8:50 PM | 0.8 | 18° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (54%). 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 | 75 | 80 | 86 | 94 | 105 | 108 | 107 | 104 | 101 | 93 | 82 | 74 |
| Low °F | 16 | 4 | 19 | 29 | 36 | 50 | 60 | 55 | 46 | 24 | 20 | 17 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
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 Cooke's Canyon, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cooke's Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Cooke's Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cooke's Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cooke's Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cooke's Canyon?
How far is Cooke's Canyon from Keeler Farm?
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.