Shafter Lake is a ghost town in Andrews County, Texas at about 965 m (3,166 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Andrews, about 13.2 km (8.2 mi) away (Shafter Lake lies NW of town).
Shafter Lake is a ghost town in Andrews County, Texas, United States, located four miles west of U.S. Route 385 on the shores of a large salt playa named Shafter Lake. It became a ghost town after the town lost an election for county seat of Andrews County.From the Wikipedia article “Shafter Lake, Texas”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Shafter Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:55 AM | 90° E | 8:03 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:45 AM | 61° ENE | 9:01 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:40 AM | 89° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:49 AM | 118° ESE | 5:50 PM | 243° WSW | 34° | 10h 01m |
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 | 7:26 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:29 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 15m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 03m |
| March | 7:37 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:34 AM | 7:27 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:24 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:57 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:46 PM | 12h 58m |
| May | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:09 PM | 13h 49m |
| June | 6:16 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 16m |
| July | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:24 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 05m |
| August | 6:50 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:02 PM | 13h 21m |
| September | 7:11 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:08 AM | 7:26 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 7:30 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:28 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:55 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 30m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 02m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Shafter Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 29° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:20 AM – 6:10 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:31 AM – 6:31 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 5:47 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 5:17 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:42 PM – 5:02 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 3:28 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:06 PM – 1:26 AM | 3.3 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 9:21 PM – 11:31 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:41 PM – 9:31 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.63 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 34% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (46%). 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 | 80 | 87 | 94 | 103 | 107 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 106 | 98 | 88 | 79 |
| Low °F | 14 | 9 | 18 | 26 | 34 | 55 | 59 | 56 | 47 | 21 | 20 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Shafter Lake?
What time is golden hour at Shafter Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Shafter Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Shafter Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Shafter Lake?
How far is Shafter Lake from Andrews?
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.