La Paz is a ghost town in La Paz County, Arizona at about 178 m (584 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 12.4 km (7.7 mi) NE of Ehrenberg.
La Paz (Yavapai: Wi:hela) was a short-lived early gold mining town along the Colorado River on the western border of current-day La Paz County, Arizona. The town grew quickly after gold was discovered nearby in 1862. La Paz, Spanish for peace, was chosen as the name in recognition of the feast day for Our Lady of Peace. Originally located in the New Mexico Territory, the town became part of the Arizona Territory when President Abraham Lincoln established the new territory in 1863. In 1983 the newly formed County of La Paz adopted the name, long after the town had become a ghost town. La Paz was the location of the La Paz Incident in 1863, the westernmost confrontation of the American Civil War.From the Wikipedia article “La Paz, Arizona”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At La Paz 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 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:42 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:29 AM | 61° ENE | 7:52 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 118° ESE | 5:34 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 55m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:35 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:19 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 5:57 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 56m |
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 La Paz, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:17 AM – 5:57 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:19 AM – 5:19 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:27 AM – 4:37 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:29 PM – 3:59 AM | 4.5 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:35 PM – 3:35 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:31 PM – 2:11 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:57 PM – 12:07 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:10 PM – 10:10 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:08 PM | 0.7 | 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 14% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (38%). 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 | 87 | 90 | 99 | 104 | 114 | 123 | 121 | 118 | 118 | 108 | 97 | 84 |
| Low °F | 24 | 24 | 33 | 40 | 47 | 56 | 66 | 64 | 55 | 38 | 30 | 28 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph La Paz?
What time is golden hour at La Paz?
Where does the sun rise and set at La Paz?
Can you see the Milky Way from La Paz?
Do you need a permit to photograph at La Paz?
How far is La Paz from Ehrenberg?
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.