Auburn — a ghost town in Baker County, Oregon at about 1,284 m (4,213 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Baker City, about 12.1 km (7.5 mi) away (Auburn lies SW of town).
Auburn is a ghost town in rural Baker County, Oregon, United States. Auburn lies off Oregon Route 7 southwest of Baker City and east of McEwen on the edge of the Blue Mountains. Auburn is deserted today, but the former gold mining boomtown was once the largest community in Eastern Oregon. Auburn only had one or two buildings until 1861, when gold was discovered in the area. By September 1862, Auburn had grown into a full-fledged town with over 20 stores and 1000 homes to serve the mining industry. In that month the Oregon Legislative Assembly made Auburn the first county seat of Baker County, but by the 1870s Auburn was largely deserted, with a population of 200 people in 1873. The post office, the first in northeast Oregon, closed in 1903. It had opened on November 1, 1862, with William F. McCrary as the first postmaster.From the Wikipedia article “Auburn, Oregon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Auburn 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) | 6:56 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 55° NE | 8:42 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 123° ESE | 4:15 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 | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 11m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 33m |
| July | 4:45 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 15m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:02 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:34 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 36m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:46 PM | 8h 50m |
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 Auburn, 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 | 4:56 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:54 AM – 4:14 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:52 AM – 3:12 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:11 PM – 2:31 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:15 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 11:14 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:15 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 ≈ 21.73 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 27% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (71%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 47 | 59 | 73 | 83 | 94 | 102 | 105 | 101 | 97 | 86 | 69 | 48 |
| Low °F | -15 | -5 | 9 | 22 | 24 | 33 | 42 | 40 | 29 | 14 | 4 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
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
- 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.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Auburn, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Auburn?
What time is golden hour at Auburn?
Where does the sun rise and set at Auburn?
Can you see the Milky Way from Auburn?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Auburn?
How far is Auburn from Baker City?
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.