Freeman Junction is a ghost town in Kern County, California. The nearest town is Inyokern, about 9.6 km (6.0 mi) away (Freeman Junction lies WSW of town).
Freeman Junction, a ghost town in Kern County, California, United States, was first homesteaded in the early 1870s. Freeman S. Raymond built a stage coach station here to accommodate travelers between the desert mines and Los Angeles. A group of Native Americans who were defending their homes and families in 1909 killed off the homesteaders and burned the stage station, after which the property lay dormant for several years. It was re-homesteaded in the 1920s by Clare C. Miley, who was born in 1900, and his wife. By the 1930s their small stone cabin became a gas station/car repair and later, a restaurant and some mining activities dominated the site. In 1953 a post office was planned, but never materialized and residents had to travel seven miles to Inyokern to collect their mail. By June, 1978, the town had died once again and the remains of the town have since been removed by...From the Wikipedia article “Freeman Junction, California”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Freeman Junction 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 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:56 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 60° ENE | 8:11 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:58 AM | 119° ESE | 4:43 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 45m |
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 | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:01 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 46m |
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 Freeman Junction, 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 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 | 4:40 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:45 AM – 4:45 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:50 PM – 4:00 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:58 PM – 3:48 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:53 PM – 2:23 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:16 PM – 12:16 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:27 PM – 10:17 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:43 PM – 8:13 PM | 0.5 | 15° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.36 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 13% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (42%). 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 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 96 | 106 | 112 | 113 | 113 | 110 | 99 | 85 | 74 |
| Low °F | 22 | 24 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 42 | 57 | 54 | 43 | 35 | 24 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Freeman Junction, closest first.
Rock Formation
Mountain Pass
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Natural ArchWilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Freeman Junction?
What time is golden hour at Freeman Junction?
Where does the sun rise and set at Freeman Junction?
Can you see the Milky Way from Freeman Junction?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Freeman Junction?
How far is Freeman Junction from Inyokern?
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.