Devil's Gate is a canyon in Carbon County, Wyoming. It sits roughly 73 km (45 mi) N of Rawlins.
Devil's Gate or Devils Gate is a natural rock formation, a gorge on the Sweetwater River in Wyoming, United States, five miles (8 km) southwest of Independence Rock. Although the actual route of travel did not pass through the narrow cleft, the site was a major landmark on the Oregon and Mormon trails, and is particularly significant in the history of the latter. Once the Union Pacific Railroad was extended to Benton, six miles east of present-day Sinclair, Wyoming, the Mormon Trail was rerouted through Whiskey Gap in Carbon County, to a point 10 miles west of Devil's Gate to rejoin the original trail. Devil's Gate is a remarkable example of superposed or an antecedent drainage stream. The Sweetwater River cuts a narrow 100-meter deep slot through a granite ridge, yet had it flowed less than a kilometer to the south, it could have bypassed the ridge completely. The gorge was cut...From the Wikipedia article “Devil's Gate (Wyoming)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Devil's Gate the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 57° ENE | 8:50 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 122° ESE | 4:40 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 16m |
| July | 5:12 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:18 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 05m |
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 Devil's Gate, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:50 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:43 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:14 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 1:53 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:00 PM – 11:50 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 9:47 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 40% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 51 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 90 | 94 | 99 | 96 | 92 | 79 | 65 | 50 |
| Low °F | -18 | -18 | -10 | -1 | 15 | 28 | 42 | 38 | 20 | -1 | -6 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Devil's Gate, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Devil's Gate?
What time is golden hour at Devil's Gate?
Where does the sun rise and set at Devil's Gate?
Can you see the Milky Way from Devil's Gate?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Devil's Gate?
How far is Devil's Gate from Rawlins?
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.