Hite — a ghost town in San Juan County, Utah — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Moab, about 115 km (72 mi) away (Hite lies SW of town).
Historic Hite is a flooded ghost town at the north end of Lake Powell along the Colorado River in western San Juan County, Utah, United States. Lake Powell and all of its other points of interest are in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service and available to the public for recreation. The town existed on land that Lake Powell now covers. Hite was named for Cass Hite, an early settler. The name was transferred to a National Park Recreation Area at the north end of Lake Powell. The Hite Crossing Bridge, near the marina, carries Utah State Route 95 over the Colorado River and connects the area to the north of the lake.From the Wikipedia article “Hite, Utah”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hite the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:26 AM | 90° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 59° ENE | 8:48 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 120° ESE | 5:07 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 32m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 50m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:28 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 7:08 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:55 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:29 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 46m |
| July | 5:42 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 32m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 7:02 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 34m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Hite, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:20 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:27 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:31 AM – 5:11 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:30 AM – 4:20 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 4:01 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 2:34 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 12:34 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:13 PM – 8:33 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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 ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (51%). 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 | 66 | 69 | 81 | 89 | 101 | 105 | 108 | 105 | 102 | 92 | 78 | 64 |
| Low °F | 3 | 1 | 18 | 22 | 28 | 40 | 54 | 53 | 35 | 16 | 16 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Hite, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Farley Canyon Primitive Camping Area4.2 km (2.6 mi)
- Dirty Devil Primitive Camping Area11.1 km (6.9 mi)
- Starr Spring Campground20 km (13 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hite?
What time is golden hour at Hite?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hite?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hite?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hite?
How far is Hite from Moab?
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.