Grand Junction is a city of about 60,358 people in Mesa County, Colorado, at 1,400 m (4,593 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:29 AM and sets at 6:30 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:53 PM – 6:46 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:32 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:56 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:27 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time in America/Denver, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Grand Junction
At Grand Junction 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 28° in winter.
Best photo spots near Grand Junction
65 photo locations lie within 80 km of Grand Junction. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic Viewpoint
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State ParkNatural Arches
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchCanyons
Canyon
Canyon
Canyon
CanyonCanyonGhost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Grand Junction is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Westwater Canyon, about 59 km (37 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 8.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwater Canyon | Canyon | 59 km (37 mi) | 1 |
| Juanita Arch | Natural Arch | 62 km (39 mi) | 1 |
| Douglas Pass | Mountain Pass | 63 km (39 mi) | 1 |
| Overlook Gas Field | Scenic Viewpoint | 65 km (40 mi) | 1 |
| Overlook Ridge | Scenic Viewpoint | 66 km (41 mi) | 1 |
| Cisco | Ghost Town | 67 km (42 mi) | 1 |
| Arrowhead Arch | Natural Arch | 73 km (45 mi) | 1 |
| Tabeguache Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 74 km (46 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:21 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:30 AM – 5:50 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:26 AM – 4:56 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:28 AM – 4:08 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:41 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:34 PM – 2:24 AM | 3.8 | 22° |
| August | 9:50 PM – 12:20 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:55 PM – 10:15 PM | 1.3 | 19° |
| October | 8:05 PM – 8:15 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.