Located in Glenn County, California, Monroeville is a ghost town. The nearest town is Hamilton City, about 7.8 km (4.8 mi) away (Monroeville lies SSE of town).
Monroeville (also, Munroeville), named for its founder U. P. Monroe, was a town located near the Sacramento River in Glenn County, California, United States. It was located 15 miles (24 km) north of Butte City, near the mouth of Stony Creek, at an elevation of 128 feet (39 m). From 1851 until 1853, Monroeville was the county seat of Colusi County. The people of the community of Colusa fought for and eventually won the right to become the County Seat in 1853. 62 residents were recorded to have lived in the community as of 1852; records after 1853 are non-existent. Monroeville disappeared from maps by 1874, and the only remaining trace of the town is a cemetery. Settler William B. Ide, leader of the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846, died in Monroeville in 1852. A post office operated at Monroeville from 1853 to 1862. The area containing Monroeville was eventually absorbed into Glenn...From the Wikipedia article “Monroeville, California”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Monroeville the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 58° ENE | 8:40 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 120° ESE | 4:48 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 21m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 22m |
| June | 5:08 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 58m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 00m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 23m |
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 Monroeville, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:15 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:45 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:23 AM – 4:53 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:26 AM – 3:56 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:40 PM – 3:30 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 2:12 AM | 3.7 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 12:07 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 10:10 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:00 PM – 8:10 PM | 0.2 | 12° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.65 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 10% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 74 | 74 | 79 | 84 | 100 | 108 | 109 | 106 | 108 | 99 | 85 | 69 |
| Low °F | 19 | 19 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 39 | 49 | 49 | 38 | 31 | 14 | 15 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.4 | 6.2 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 7.2 |
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.
- 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 Monroeville, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
State Park
Canyon
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Monroeville?
What time is golden hour at Monroeville?
Where does the sun rise and set at Monroeville?
Can you see the Milky Way from Monroeville?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Monroeville?
How far is Monroeville from Hamilton City?
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.