Located in Crosby County, Texas, Blanco Canyon is a canyon. It sits roughly 13.2 km (8.2 mi) SE of Crosbyton.
Blanco Canyon is a canyon located in the U.S. state of Texas. Eroded by the White River into the Caprock Escarpment on the east side of the Llano Estacado, the canyon runs for 34 miles (55 km) in a southeasterly direction, gradually widening from its beginning in southwestern Floyd County to 10 miles (16 km) across at its mouth in southeastern Crosby County. It also gradually deepens from 50 feet (15 m) at its beginning to 300 to 500 feet (91 to 150 m) at its mouth. One side canyon, 5-mile long Crawfish Canyon, was cut by Crawfish Creek as it feeds into the White River from the west. Blanco Canyon is one of several canyons that have been cut by rivers into the east face of the Llano Estacado, including Yellow House Canyon, Tule Canyon, and Palo Duro Canyon.From the Wikipedia article “Blanco Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Blanco 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) | 7:49 AM | 90° E | 7:56 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:36 AM | 61° ENE | 8:59 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:33 AM | 89° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:46 AM | 118° ESE | 5:41 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 55m |
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 | 7:22 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:26 AM | 5:22 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 7:04 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:29 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:18 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:06 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 6:06 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:20 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 6:18 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:20 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:32 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 7:04 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:02 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:18 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:23 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 9h 56m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Blanco 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 | 5:23 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 6:25 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 5:42 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 12:34 AM – 5:04 AM | 4.5 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:39 PM – 4:49 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:35 PM – 3:25 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:02 PM – 1:22 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 9:16 PM – 11:16 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:34 PM – 9:14 PM | 0.7 | 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 ≈ 21.84 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (47%). 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 | 82 | 89 | 94 | 105 | 107 | 115 | 113 | 112 | 105 | 99 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 10 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 35 | 52 | 58 | 55 | 46 | 22 | 17 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 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 Blanco Canyon, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Blanco Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Blanco Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Blanco Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Blanco Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Blanco Canyon?
How far is Blanco Canyon from Crosbyton?
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.