Mills — a ghost town in Harding County, New Mexico — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 92 km (57 mi) S of Raton.
Mills is an unincorporated community in Harding County, New Mexico, United States, founded in 1888. It lies on NM 39, eleven miles north of Roy. Mills lies within the Kiowa National Grassland.From the Wikipedia article “Mills, New Mexico”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mills 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 300° (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) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 60° ENE | 8:18 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:05 AM | 119° ESE | 4:47 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 42m |
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 | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 59m |
| February | 6:19 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 05m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 36m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 23m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:18 PM | 10h 16m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 43m |
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 Mills, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:45 AM – 5:15 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:50 AM – 5:40 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:51 AM – 4:51 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:57 PM – 4:07 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:06 PM – 3:46 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:00 PM – 2:20 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:23 PM – 12:23 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 10:13 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 8:18 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 37% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (51%). 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 | 66 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 98 | 100 | 100 | 96 | 95 | 87 | 78 | 69 |
| Low °F | 4 | -7 | 6 | 14 | 23 | 36 | 49 | 47 | 29 | 14 | 10 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mills?
What time is golden hour at Mills?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mills?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mills?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mills?
How far is Mills from Raton?
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.