Rochester — a ghost town in Pershing County, Nevada at about 1,810 m (5,938 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Lovelock, about 28 km (18 mi) away (Rochester lies ENE of town).
Rochester was a silver-mining town in Pershing County, Nevada, US, approximately 110 mi (180 km) east of Reno. It is now a ghost town. Lower Rochester is still accessible to visitors, but was largely destroyed by a wildfire in 2012; Upper Rochester has been buried under mine tailings of the more recent Coeur Rochester open pit mine.From the Wikipedia article “Rochester, Nevada”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rochester 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) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 58° ENE | 8:27 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 121° ESE | 4:30 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 | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 37m |
| February | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 25m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 02m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 46m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 19m |
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 Rochester, 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:10 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:31 AM | 1.2 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 4:29 AM | 2.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:44 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:29 PM – 3:19 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:20 PM – 1:50 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:34 PM – 11:54 PM | 2.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:46 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:45 PM – 7:45 PM | 0.0 | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.93 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 August as the clearest month (about 24% 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 | 65 | 67 | 77 | 85 | 97 | 103 | 107 | 102 | 100 | 89 | 72 | 57 |
| Low °F | 1 | 9 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 30 | 46 | 46 | 32 | 19 | 10 | 5 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 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.
- 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 Rochester, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rochester?
What time is golden hour at Rochester?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rochester?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rochester?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rochester?
How far is Rochester from Lovelock?
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.