Located in Box Elder County, Utah, Hogup Cave is a cave. The nearest town is Tremonton, about 84 km (52 mi) away (Hogup Cave lies WSW of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hogup Cave is a two-chambered limestone cavern, and an important, well-studied prehistoric Great Basin site in Utah.From the Wikipedia article “Hogup Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hogup Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:37 AM | 90° E | 7:45 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:00 AM | 57° ENE | 9:11 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 121° ESE | 5:06 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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
Caves are lit artificially — show caves have fixed lighting, so a fast lens and high ISO beat flash, which flattens formations.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:27 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:40 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:22 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:39 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 6:12 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:03 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:11 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:23 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 7:21 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:37 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 12m |
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 Hogup Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | 5:49 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 5:01 AM – 6:01 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 3:02 AM – 5:02 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 4:10 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:18 PM – 3:48 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:08 PM – 2:18 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:18 PM – 12:18 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:17 PM – 10:17 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:24 PM – 8:24 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.8 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 62 | 60 | 75 | 84 | 97 | 101 | 105 | 101 | 100 | 87 | 72 | 56 |
| Low °F | -15 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 22 | 30 | 44 | 43 | 28 | 12 | -4 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
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 cave
- Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
- Use manual focus with focus peaking in low light.
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- Follow White-nose Syndrome decontamination rules where posted to protect bats.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Cave interiors stay at a constant temperature year-round; summer tours fill up, so book ahead.
Suggested gear: Fast lens (f/1.8–f/2.8), High-ISO camera, Small beanbag. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Hogup Cave, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hogup Cave?
What time is golden hour at Hogup Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hogup Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hogup Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hogup Cave?
How far is Hogup Cave from Tremonton?
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.