Dearfield is a ghost town in Weld County, Colorado. It sits roughly 28 km (17 mi) ESE of Kersey. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dearfield is an extinct town and a historically black majority settlement in Weld County, Colorado, United States. It is 30 miles (48 km) east of Greeley. The town was formed by Oliver Toussaint Jackson, who desired to create a colony for African American homesteaders. In 1910, Jackson, a successful businessman from Boulder, filed on the homestead that later became the town and began to advertise for "colonists." The name Dearfield was suggested by one of the town's citizens, Dr. J.H.P. Westbrook, who was from Denver. The word dear was chosen as the foundation for the town's name due to the precious value of the land and community to the town's settlers. The first settlers of Dearfield had great difficulty farming the surrounding pasture and endured several harsh seasons. By 1920, the town had 200 to 300 residents, two churches, a school and restaurant. In 1921, the town's net worth...From the Wikipedia article “Dearfield, Colorado”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dearfield the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 58° ENE | 8:31 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 121° ESE | 4:35 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 18m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 37m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 25m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 02m |
| July | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 46m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 19m |
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 Dearfield, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:14 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.2 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:23 AM – 4:33 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:48 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:33 PM – 3:23 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 1:54 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:58 PM | 2.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 9:50 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:49 PM – 7:59 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.38 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 41% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 71 | 74 | 82 | 90 | 100 | 106 | 107 | 106 | 101 | 88 | 79 | 64 |
| Low °F | -4 | -11 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 39 | 51 | 46 | 32 | 12 | -1 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
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 Dearfield, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dearfield?
What time is golden hour at Dearfield?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dearfield?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dearfield?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dearfield?
How far is Dearfield from Kersey?
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.