Ashwood — a ghost town in Jefferson County, Oregon — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 32 km (20 mi) ENE of Madras.
Ashwood is a ghost town in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States, 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Madras. Ashwood was named for its proximity to Ash Butte, a butte with volcanic ash deposits on its sides, and to honor Whitfield T. Wood, who settled in the area in the 1870s. Ashwood post office was established in 1898. The Ashwood area was first used by the Native American Sahaptin and Northern Paiute people. After the Sahaptin were forced to move to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the 1850s, and the Northern Paiute were defeated in the 1870s, settlers moved into the area to raise cattle and sheep. Sheep ranching became an important local industry by 1900 because of the availability of the railroad in nearby Shaniko that facilitated the shipping of wool. Ashwood became a gold- and silver-mining boomtown in the 1910s. The Oregon King Mine was an important mine that was...From the Wikipedia article “Ashwood, Oregon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ashwood the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 55° NE | 8:53 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 123° ESE | 4:26 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 48m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 11m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:02 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 34m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 15m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:57 PM | 8h 49m |
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 Ashwood, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:07 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:05 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:03 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:22 PM – 2:42 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:06 PM – 1:26 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:05 PM – 11:25 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 62 | 63 | 75 | 83 | 93 | 98 | 104 | 101 | 99 | 89 | 71 | 57 |
| Low °F | -11 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 25 | 31 | 38 | 37 | 28 | 15 | -2 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Ashwood?
What time is golden hour at Ashwood?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ashwood?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ashwood?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ashwood?
How far is Ashwood from Madras?
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.