Bullfrog — a ghost town in Nye County, Nevada at about 1,085 m (3,560 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Beatty, about 7.0 km (4.3 mi) away (Bullfrog lies WSW of town).
Bullfrog is a ghost town in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located at the north end of the Amargosa Desert about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Beatty. Less than 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Bullfrog are the Bullfrog Hills and the ghost town of Rhyolite. The two ghost towns are about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of Las Vegas, 60 miles (97 km) south of Goldfield, and 90 miles (140 km) south of Tonopah. To the west, roughly 5 miles (8.0 km) from Bullfrog, the Funeral and Grapevine Mountains of the Amargosa Range rise between the Amargosa Desert in Nevada and Death Valley in California. Bullfrog is near the Goldwell Open Air Museum and its Red Barn Art Center. The Bullfrog jail, the barn, the museum's information center and its outdoor sculptures are located along a spur road leading from State Route 374 to Rhyolite.From the Wikipedia article “Bullfrog, Nevada”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bullfrog 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:29 AM | 60° ENE | 8:11 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:46 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:57 AM | 119° ESE | 4:35 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 38m |
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 | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 55m |
| February | 6:10 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 08m |
| June | 4:58 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 41m |
| July | 5:10 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 27m |
| August | 5:38 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:23 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:29 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:04 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:07 PM | 10h 13m |
| December | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 39m |
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 Bullfrog, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | 4:45 AM – 5:05 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:51 AM – 5:21 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:44 AM – 4:34 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 11:52 PM – 3:52 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:01 PM – 3:31 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:55 PM – 2:05 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:16 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:24 PM – 10:04 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:38 PM – 8:08 PM | 0.5 | 14° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.88 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 19% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (47%). 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 | 78 | 78 | 89 | 96 | 107 | 112 | 113 | 113 | 109 | 98 | 85 | 74 |
| Low °F | 18 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 39 | 47 | 61 | 58 | 44 | 27 | 22 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
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.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- 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 Bullfrog, closest first.
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Ghost TownGhost TownFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bullfrog?
What time is golden hour at Bullfrog?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bullfrog?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bullfrog?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bullfrog?
How far is Bullfrog from Beatty?
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.