Yellow House Canyon is a canyon in Lubbock County, Texas. It sits roughly 10.2 km (6.3 mi) ENE of Slaton.
Yellow House Canyon is about 32 km (20 mi) long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of the Llano Estacado and carries the waters of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River. The name has an XIT Ranch heritage, according to Gary and Margaret Kraisinger, in that "the yellow cliffs which from a distance resembled houses with open doors." Within the city limits of Lubbock Yellow House Canyon remains a narrow and shallow channel with a typical width of less than 0.5 km (0.31 mi) and a typical depth of not more than 20 m (66 ft). The city of Lubbock has constructed a series of small dams forming several narrow lakes, collectively known as Canyon Lakes. The Canyon...From the Wikipedia article “Yellow House Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Yellow House 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) | 7:51 AM | 90° E | 7:58 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:38 AM | 61° ENE | 9:00 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:35 AM | 89° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 118° ESE | 5:43 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 56m |
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 | 7:24 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:28 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:28 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 7:06 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:33 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:51 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:07 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:22 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:22 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:00 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 7:06 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:03 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:19 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:25 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:22 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:08 PM | 9h 57m |
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 Yellow House 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:25 AM – 6:05 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:27 AM – 6:27 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 5:44 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 5:06 AM | 4.5 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:41 PM – 4:51 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:37 PM – 3:27 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 1:24 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 9:18 PM – 11:18 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:36 PM – 9:16 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.42 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
- Dust and sand are hard on gear; change lenses in a bag or with your back to the wind.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Yellow House Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Yellow House Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Yellow House Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Yellow House Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Yellow House Canyon?
How far is Yellow House Canyon from Slaton?
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.