Located in Mono County, California, Bodie is a ghost town at about 2,554 m (8,379 ft) above sea level. It is part of Bodie State Historic Park. The nearest town is Hawthorne, about 48 km (30 mi) away (Bodie lies SW of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bodie ( BOH-dee) is a ghost town in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States. It is about 75 miles (121 km) southeast of Lake Tahoe, and 12 mi (19 km) east-southeast of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 8,379 feet (2,554 m). Bodie became a boom town in 1876 (1876) after the discovery of a profitable vein of gold; by 1879 it had established 2,000 structures with a population of roughly 8,000 people. The town went into decline in the subsequent decades and came to be described as a ghost town by 1915 (1915). The U.S. Department of the Interior recognizes the designated Bodie Historic District as a National Historic Landmark. Also registered as a California Historical Landmark, the ghost town officially was established as Bodie State Historic Park in 1962. It receives about 200,000 visitors yearly. Bodie State Historic Park is...From the Wikipedia article “Bodie, California”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bodie 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 301° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 59° ENE | 8:23 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 120° ESE | 4:40 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 30m |
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 | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 48m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 49m |
| July | 5:15 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 34m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 07m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:48 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 31m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Bodie, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:54 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:01 AM – 5:31 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:06 AM – 4:36 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:06 AM – 3:56 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:18 PM – 3:28 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:11 PM – 2:11 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:29 PM – 12:09 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 10:05 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:47 PM – 8:07 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 61 | 66 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 94 | 98 | 93 | 92 | 83 | 71 | 62 |
| Low °F | -3 | -6 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 22 | 37 | 34 | 23 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
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
- 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.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Bodie, closest first.
Ghost Town
Volcano
Ghost Town
Hot SpringHot SpringHot Spring
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lower Virginia Creek Primitive Campground25 km (15 mi)
- Green Creek Group26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Crags Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Robinson Creek North27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Robinson Creek South27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bodie?
What time is golden hour at Bodie?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bodie?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bodie?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bodie?
How far is Bodie from Hawthorne?
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.