Ballston — a ghost town in Polk County, Oregon — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Sheridan, about 6.8 km (4.2 mi) away (Ballston lies ESE of town).
Ballston is an unincorporated community, in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It is southeast of Sheridan and southwest of Amity. It is considered a ghost town. Ballston was founded in 1878 by pioneer Isaac Ball on his donation land claim. Ball and his family immigrated from England, and arrived in Oregon via the Oregon Trail in 1848. Ball named the town "Ballsville", and it had a post office of the same name. The name of the post office was changed to Ballston in 1880. The post office was discontinued in 1953 when it became a rural station of Sheridan; it was discontinued all together in 1969. Ballston was a station on the Dayton, Sheridan and Grande Ronde Railroad (DS&GR), later the Oregonian Railway. Isaac Ball was an early promoter of the DS&GR when it was originally a narrow gauge railway line. The line changed ownership again to become part of the Southern Pacific Railroad;...From the Wikipedia article “Ballston, Oregon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ballston 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 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 55° NE | 9:05 PM | 305° NW | 68° | 15h 38m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 123° ESE | 4:35 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 45m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 09m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 51m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 36m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 17m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 8h 47m |
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 Ballston, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:16 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 2:45 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 1:28 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:06 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.3 | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.69 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 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August 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 | 57 | 59 | 66 | 77 | 83 | 80 | 86 | 92 | 87 | 79 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | 19 | 20 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 39 | 31 | 24 | 16 |
| Precip. (in) | 10.3 | 7.2 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 6.1 | 10.5 | 11.4 |
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 Ballston, closest first.
State Park
Ghost Town
National Wildlife Refuge
Ghost Town
Covered Bridge
State Park
State Park
Waterfall
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Fan Creek Recreation Site28 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Rocky Bend Group Campground29 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Elk Bend Recreation Site30 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ballston?
What time is golden hour at Ballston?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ballston?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ballston?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ballston?
How far is Ballston from Sheridan?
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.