Located in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, Elephant Butte Canyon is a canyon. It sits roughly 87 km (54 mi) ENE of Douglas.
Elephant Butte Canyon or Lawhorn Canyon is a canyon in the Animas Mountains of Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Its stream is a tributary of Walnut Creek. Its mouth is located at elevation 5,535 feet / 1,687 feet at its confluence with Walnut Creek, just below Lawhorn Tank. Its source is located at 3.5 miles north northeast of its mouth 31°36′25″N 108°39′20″W at an elevation of 6,050 feet (1,840 meters) on the southwest slope of Elephant Butte.From the Wikipedia article “Elephant Butte Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Elephant Butte Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 82° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:11 AM | 62° ENE | 8:23 PM | 299° WNW | 82° | 14h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:11 AM | 117° ESE | 5:16 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 05m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 19m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:27 PM | 11h 05m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:09 PM | 12h 57m |
| May | 5:52 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 46m |
| June | 5:42 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 12m |
| July | 5:53 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 01m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:26 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 19m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 25m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 33m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 06m |
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 Elephant Butte Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 30° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:44 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:54 AM – 5:54 AM | 2.0 | 26° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:49 AM – 5:19 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 11:48 PM – 4:38 AM | 4.8 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:01 PM – 4:31 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:58 PM – 2:58 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:27 PM – 12:57 AM | 3.5 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 10:54 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:05 PM – 8:55 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.91 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (57%). June 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 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 93 | 103 | 107 | 107 | 103 | 99 | 93 | 83 | 76 |
| Low °F | 19 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 37 | 51 | 59 | 57 | 47 | 25 | 19 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Elephant Butte Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Elephant Butte Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Elephant Butte Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Elephant Butte Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Elephant Butte Canyon?
How far is Elephant Butte Canyon from Douglas?
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.