Frenchman Coulee is a canyon in Kittitas County, Washington. It sits roughly 26 km (16 mi) SSW of Quincy.
Frenchman Coulee is an erosional feature left behind by the great Ice Age floods, a spectacular dual coulee and recessional-cataract complex in the western Quincy Basin.From the Wikipedia article “Frenchman Coulee”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Frenchman Coulee the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 53° NE | 9:00 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 125° SE | 4:14 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 30m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:31 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 53m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 32m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:45 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:05 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 32m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Frenchman Coulee, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:28 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:21 AM – 4:11 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:28 AM – 2:58 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:53 PM – 2:03 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:28 PM – 12:58 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:14 PM – 10:54 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.66 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 51 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 86 | 95 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 78 | 60 | 45 |
| Low °F | -11 | -4 | -1 | 16 | 22 | 31 | 37 | 39 | 28 | 12 | -6 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
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 Frenchman Coulee, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Frenchman Coulee?
What time is golden hour at Frenchman Coulee?
Where does the sun rise and set at Frenchman Coulee?
Can you see the Milky Way from Frenchman Coulee?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Frenchman Coulee?
How far is Frenchman Coulee from Quincy?
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.