Brigham City — a ghost town in Navajo County, Arizona at about 1,492 m (4,895 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) NNE of Winslow. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Brigham City is a ghost town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Founded by member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near the present city of Winslow in 1876, it was one and one-half miles north of Winslow's current city center, along the Little Colorado River. It was organized as a Latter-Day Saints ward in 1878, but by 1881 it had been abandoned. Twenty Mormon families and fifteen bachelors from Salt Lake City settled the area, and built homes inside protective walls originally measuring 200 feet (61 m) long and 7 feet (2.1 m) high. Flash flooding that washed away the dams and irrigation systems led to crop failures and caused the abandonment of the town by 1881. The US Census listed its population as 191 in 1880. Brigham City was one of four Little Colorado River colonies. The other colonies were Joseph City, Sunset, and Obed. Joseph City is the only...From the Wikipedia article “Brigham City, Arizona”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Brigham City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:27 AM | 90° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 60° ENE | 7:41 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:11 AM | 89° E | 6:21 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 119° ESE | 5:15 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 48m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:03 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:32 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:09 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:25 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:21 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:20 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:48 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:46 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:09 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:21 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 14h 17m |
| August | 5:17 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 5:41 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:40 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:57 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:04 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:03 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:14 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 49m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Brigham City, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:01 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.7 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:15 AM – 5:05 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:19 PM – 3:39 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:26 PM – 3:16 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:21 PM – 1:51 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:46 PM – 11:46 PM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 7:57 PM – 9:47 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:13 PM – 7:53 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.94 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 25% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (50%). 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 | 66 | 72 | 82 | 89 | 99 | 106 | 104 | 103 | 100 | 89 | 79 | 68 |
| Low °F | 5 | 3 | 17 | 21 | 28 | 40 | 53 | 52 | 36 | 17 | 17 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 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 ghost town
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Brigham City, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Brigham City?
What time is golden hour at Brigham City?
Where does the sun rise and set at Brigham City?
Can you see the Milky Way from Brigham City?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Brigham City?
How far is Brigham City from Winslow?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.