Red Canyon — a canyon in Fremont County, Wyoming — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 18.9 km (11.7 mi) SSE of Lander.
Red Canyon is a canyon located in Fremont County, Wyoming in the United States of America. The uplift of the nearby Wind River Range 60 million years ago exposed sedimentary rocks that were eroded by streams. The canyon exposes a number of geologic formations including the Phosphoria Formation from the Permian Period and the Chugwater Formation from the Triassic Period. Oxidized iron deposits in the rocks give the canyon its name. Red Canyon Creek drains the canyon and feeds into the Little Popo Agie River at the northern end. The streams provide habitat for wildlife in an otherwise arid region. There is evidence of over 10,000 years of human presence in the canyon, including the Shoshone and Washakie tribes which used it as a transportation corridor between South Pass and the Wind River Basin. White settlers arrived during the 1870s and established farms on the floor of the...From the Wikipedia article “Red Canyon (Fremont County, Wyoming)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Red Canyon 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° (NW) 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) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 57° ENE | 8:57 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 122° ESE | 4:45 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:27 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Red Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark 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 | 4:56 AM – 5:46 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:59 AM – 4:49 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:01 AM – 3:51 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:12 PM – 3:12 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:00 PM – 1:50 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 11:57 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:53 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.88 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 September as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 53 | 55 | 66 | 76 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 94 | 90 | 77 | 63 | 48 |
| Low °F | -19 | -19 | -7 | -1 | 15 | 26 | 37 | 35 | 19 | -3 | -10 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
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
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Red Canyon, closest first.
State Park
Ghost Town
Waterfall
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Big Atlantic Gulch Campground17.5 km (10.9 mi)
- Atlantic City Campground17.6 km (10.9 mi)
- Atlantic City Campground18.1 km (11.3 mi)
- Worthen Meadow Campground22 km (14 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Red Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Red Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Red Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Red Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Red Canyon?
How far is Red Canyon from Lander?
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.