Lamonta is a ghost town in Jefferson County, Oregon at about 951 m (3,120 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Culver, about 15.4 km (9.6 mi) away (Lamonta lies ESE of town).
Lamonta was a town located in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States, established in 1890, and abandoned in 1934. Located along The Dalles-John Day stage route, Lamonta contained a post office, school, blacksmith, livery, hotel, stores, four saloons and a dance hall. Following a series of crop failures and droughts in the 1920s, Lamonta was mostly abandoned by 1934. By 1939, Lamonta was considered a ghost town. Original traces of town were burned down to make room for the new substation.From the Wikipedia article “Lamonta, Oregon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lamonta 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) | 7:08 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 55° NE | 8:53 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 123° ESE | 4:28 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 7:38 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 13m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:04 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 13m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 51m |
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 Lamonta, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:58 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:02 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:20 PM – 2:50 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 11:24 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.66 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 (75%). 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 | 65 | 77 | 84 | 94 | 100 | 103 | 102 | 98 | 88 | 72 | 58 |
| Low °F | -8 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 30 | 17 | 3 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
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
- 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.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Lamonta, closest first.
Mountain Peak
State Park
State Park
Waterfall
Waterfall
State ParkWaterfall
Scenic ViewpointWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Haystack Campground (East Shore)8.9 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- South Shore Group Sites9.3 km (5.8 mi)
- South Shore Group Campground9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lamonta?
What time is golden hour at Lamonta?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lamonta?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lamonta?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lamonta?
How far is Lamonta from Culver?
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.