Butterfield Canyon is a canyon in Salt Lake County, Utah. The nearest town is Herriman, about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) away (Butterfield Canyon lies W of town).
Butterfield Canyon is a canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains in southwest Salt Lake County, Utah, United States located just west of the city of Herriman. Locals use this canyon to commute to and from Herriman/Tooele. Butterfield Canyon Road is a recreation road. The canyon was named after Thomas Jefferson Butterfield, the founder of Herriman, Utah.From the Wikipedia article “Butterfield Canyon (Utah)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Butterfield Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:33 AM | 90° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 58° ENE | 9:03 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:49 AM | 121° ESE | 5:05 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 16m |
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 | 7:20 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 36m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:32 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:03 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 03m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:31 PM | 14h 47m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 57m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 18m |
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 Butterfield Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:45 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:56 AM – 6:06 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 5:05 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:50 AM – 4:10 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 11:06 PM – 3:46 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:57 PM – 2:27 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:10 PM – 12:20 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 9:11 PM – 10:21 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.99 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 33% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 60 | 61 | 74 | 84 | 95 | 99 | 104 | 101 | 97 | 87 | 71 | 56 |
| Low °F | -12 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 25 | 36 | 49 | 47 | 31 | 16 | 4 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.9 |
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 Butterfield Canyon, closest first.
Ghost Town
Canyon
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Dogwood Day Use29 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Ledgemere Picnic Area29 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Birches Picnic Area30 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Butterfield Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Butterfield Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Butterfield Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Butterfield Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Butterfield Canyon?
How far is Butterfield Canyon from Herriman?
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.