Located in Gunnison County, Colorado, Crystal is a ghost town at about 2,728 m (8,950 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Snowmass Village, about 22 km (14 mi) away (Crystal lies SW of town).
Crystal (also known as Crystal City) is a ghost town on the upper Crystal River in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. It is located in the Elk Mountains along a four-wheel-drive road 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Marble and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Crested Butte. Crystal was a mining camp established in 1881 and after several decades of robust existence, was all but abandoned by 1917. Many buildings still stand in Crystal, but its few residents live there only in the summer.From the Wikipedia article “Crystal, Gunnison County, Colorado”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crystal 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:44 AM | 59° ENE | 8:38 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 120° ESE | 4:50 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 25m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:05 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:24 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Crystal, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:15 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:50 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 4:02 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:35 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:28 PM – 2:18 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:09 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:09 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: 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 ≈ 21.8 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (70%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 48 | 52 | 65 | 73 | 87 | 91 | 93 | 90 | 89 | 76 | 64 | 48 |
| Low °F | -25 | -22 | -8 | 7 | 18 | 27 | 37 | 34 | 23 | 5 | -15 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
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 Crystal, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Gothic11.8 km (7.4 mi) · reservable
- Maroon Bells Amphitheatre14.2 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Bogan Flats Campground And Group14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Oh Be Joyful Campground17.1 km (10.7 mi) · reservable
- Erickson Springs18.3 km (11.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crystal?
What time is golden hour at Crystal?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crystal?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crystal?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crystal?
How far is Crystal from Snowmass Village?
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.