Whitney is a ghost town in Baker County, Oregon at about 1,268 m (4,160 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 38 km (24 mi) WSW of Baker City.
Whitney is an unincorporated community, also considered a ghost town, in Baker County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 7 southwest of Sumpter. It is on the North Fork Burnt River, near the Blue Mountains and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Whitney was named for a pioneer in the county, C.H. Whitney. The community of Whitney had a post office from 1901 to 1943. Founded as a logging town and platted in 1900, Whitney was the primary station on the narrow gauge Sumpter Valley Railway. The Oregon Lumber Company built the first sawmill. It burned down in 1918, causing the town to severely decline. It was rebuilt in 1939 by the Oregon Lumber Company to harvest some nearby newly purchased timber stands. The Nibley Lumber Company built a second sawmill in 1910–11 on the south side of town. It was a picturesque ruin well into the 21st century, but as of 2008 was completely gone....From the Wikipedia article “Whitney, Oregon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Whitney 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) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 55° NE | 8:43 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 123° ESE | 4:16 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 | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 4:31 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 33m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:35 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 36m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:48 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 Whitney, 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 1 (excellent dark-sky 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 | 4:57 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:15 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:13 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:12 PM – 2:32 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:56 PM – 1:16 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:15 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:16 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 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 December 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 | 54 | 55 | 71 | 80 | 90 | 98 | 104 | 99 | 98 | 88 | 66 | 55 |
| Low °F | -12 | -2 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 28 | 36 | 34 | 26 | 10 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 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
- 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 Whitney, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Antlers Guard Station Cabin2.9 km (1.8 mi) · reservable
- Yellow Pine Campground14.6 km (9.0 mi)
- Hilltop Hideaway - Umatilla Nf (Or)22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Congo Gulch22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Miners Retreat22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Whitney?
What time is golden hour at Whitney?
Where does the sun rise and set at Whitney?
Can you see the Milky Way from Whitney?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Whitney?
How far is Whitney 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.