McRae Canyon — a canyon in Sierra County, New Mexico — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Elephant Butte, about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) away (McRae Canyon lies NNE of town).
McRae Canyon originally known as Cañon del Muerto, is a canyon in the southern Fra Cristobal Range in Sierra County, New Mexico. Its waters are tributary to the Rio Grande, and today flow into the Elephant Butte Reservoir at the head of an inlet in the flooded lower canyon, at an elevation of 4,354 feet (1,327 meters). Its source is at 33°13′52″N 107°05′50″W, at an elevation of 5,070 feet (1,550 meters) in the southern Fra Cristobal Range. McRae Canyon has one major tributary the Cañon del Muerto that has its confluence with McRae Canyon a short distance below that with an unnamed arroyo at 33°11′21″N 107°07′32″W. Just below this confluence is an artesian spring, that flows continuously from the Jornada del Muerto basin aquifer. McRae Canyon is the site of Fort McRae manned by California Volunteers of the Union Army from 1863 to 1866, and by U. S. Army soldiers from 1866 to 1876.From the Wikipedia article “McRae Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At McRae 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 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 61° ENE | 8:22 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:09 AM | 118° ESE | 5:06 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 57m |
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 | 7:50 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 12m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:19 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 20m |
| July | 5:43 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 08m |
| August | 6:06 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:49 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:14 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:16 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 58m |
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 McRae Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° 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 | 4:48 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:50 AM – 5:50 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:47 AM – 5:07 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:48 PM – 4:28 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:03 PM – 4:13 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:59 PM – 2:49 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:26 PM – 12:46 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:40 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:49 PM | 0.8 | 17° | 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 ≈ 21.75 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 29% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 70 | 76 | 80 | 88 | 96 | 101 | 101 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 77 | 71 |
| Low °F | 2 | -3 | 17 | 24 | 28 | 42 | 53 | 51 | 35 | 18 | 17 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 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.
- 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 McRae Canyon, closest first.
State Park
Hot SpringHot Spring
Canyon
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph McRae Canyon?
What time is golden hour at McRae Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at McRae Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from McRae Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at McRae Canyon?
How far is McRae Canyon from Elephant Butte?
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.