Hyder — a ghost town in Yuma County, Arizona — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Gila Bend, about 59 km (37 mi) away (Hyder lies W of town).
Camp Hyder was a US Army installation in Arizona, functioning as a subcamp of the Desert Training Center in Riverside County, California. The main headquarters for the Desert Training Center was Camp Young, this is where General Patton's 3rd Armored Division was stationed. Camp Hyder is 2 miles (3.2 km) miles south of Hyder, Arizona. The camp was just north of the Gila River. Camp Hyder is 60 miles (97 km) miles east of Yuma, Arizona, near Camp Horn. Camp Hyder was built at the site of an old 1890s military base. Trained at Camp Hyder, in 1943, for six months was the 77th Infantry Division from April 1943 to September 1943. Then the 104th Infantry Division moved in for training. Unlike the other camps, no large tank activity was done. The camp was built by The 369th Engineer Regiment. Camp Hyder had its own rail station at which most troops arrived. The train station at Sentinel,...From the Wikipedia article “Camp Hyder”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hyder the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:38 AM | 90° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 61° ENE | 7:46 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:22 AM | 89° E | 6:32 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 118° ESE | 5:31 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 58m |
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 | 7:10 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 13m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:20 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:06 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:29 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 4:56 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 14h 19m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:12 PM | 14h 08m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:46 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:06 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:26 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 28m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 59m |
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 Hyder, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:02 AM – 5:52 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:14 AM – 5:14 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:10 AM – 4:30 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:11 PM – 3:51 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:26 PM – 3:36 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:22 PM – 2:12 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:50 PM – 12:10 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:04 PM – 10:04 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:23 PM – 8:13 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.67 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 16% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (39%). 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 | 85 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 112 | 120 | 118 | 116 | 114 | 105 | 94 | 82 |
| Low °F | 23 | 22 | 32 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 65 | 63 | 53 | 38 | 28 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 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 ghost town
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Hyder, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Painted Rock Petroglyph Campground28 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Painted Rock Petroglyph Site And Campground28 km (18 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hyder?
What time is golden hour at Hyder?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hyder?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hyder?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hyder?
How far is Hyder from Gila Bend?
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.