Recapture Canyon — a canyon in San Juan County, Utah — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Blanding, about 6.6 km (4.1 mi) away (Recapture Canyon lies SE of town).
Recapture Canyon is a canyon along Recapture Creek (a tributary of the San Juan River) east of Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, United States. It is an archaeological site, and is located on federal land. The Bureau of Land Management closed it to motorized vehicles in 2007 due to damage caused by illegal trail construction. Recapture Canyon contains dwellings, burial sites, and artifacts of the Ancient Pueblo peoples, including cliff dwellings built between 1150 and 1300 AD. On Saturday May 10, 2014, San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman organized a protest aimed at legally opening the trail to all-terrain vehicles. The protest attracted several militia members from the Bundy ranch. Bureau of Land Management undercover agents documented the illegal ride. Lyman was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing, for which he served ten days in jail and paid restitution of $96,000. On...From the Wikipedia article “Recapture Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Recapture Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 59° ENE | 8:43 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 120° ESE | 5:03 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 34m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 51m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 11m |
| June | 5:26 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 45m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 31m |
| August | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:36 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 35m |
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 Recapture Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | 5:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:53 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 5:06 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:25 AM – 4:15 AM | 3.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:55 AM | 5.3 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:29 PM – 2:29 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 12:29 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 10:26 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:09 PM – 8:29 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.63 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 32% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (56%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 64 | 66 | 80 | 84 | 98 | 103 | 105 | 102 | 100 | 88 | 75 | 61 |
| Low °F | -6 | -1 | 10 | 20 | 25 | 36 | 49 | 50 | 32 | 14 | 11 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Recapture Canyon, closest first.
Natural Arch
State Park
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Recapture Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Recapture Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Recapture Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Recapture Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Recapture Canyon?
How far is Recapture Canyon from Blanding?
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.