Located in San Juan County, Utah, Home of Truth is a ghost town. It sits roughly 21 km (13 mi) N of Monticello.
Home of Truth is a ghost town located in San Juan County, Utah. The settlement was a short-lived utopian religious intentional community in the 1930s led by spiritualist Marie Ogden. The Home of Truth started in 1933 with an initial population of 22 people and grew to around 100 at its peak. During its brief history, the town was isolated from the surrounding community socially as well as physically, its residents keeping to themselves in a strict, simple lifestyle. Ogden took over the local newspaper and used it to introduce outsiders to her beliefs. The crisis that led to the downfall of the Home of Truth resulted from her writings about efforts to raise a woman from the dead. The investigations by local authorities and the intense media attention that followed drove most of the members to abandon the group by the end of 1937. A handful of residents continued to occupy Home of...From the Wikipedia article “Home of Truth, Utah”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Home of Truth 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 75° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 59° ENE | 8:44 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 120° ESE | 5:02 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 31m |
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 | 7:04 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:51 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 32m |
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 Home of Truth, 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 | 5:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:53 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 5:07 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 4:17 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:39 PM – 3:59 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 2:32 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:51 PM – 12:31 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 10:27 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:09 PM – 8:29 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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 31% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (56%). 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 | 59 | 62 | 77 | 85 | 98 | 102 | 104 | 100 | 98 | 87 | 73 | 59 |
| Low °F | -7 | -8 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 34 | 48 | 47 | 32 | 7 | 8 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
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
- 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.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Home of Truth, closest first.
Rock Formation
Natural Arch
Rock FormationNatural Arch
Natural Arch
Natural ArchCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Windwhistle Campground14.5 km (9.0 mi)
- Windwhistle Group Site14.7 km (9.1 mi) · reservable
- Buckboard21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Superbowl Group Site23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Superbowl Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Home of Truth?
What time is golden hour at Home of Truth?
Where does the sun rise and set at Home of Truth?
Can you see the Milky Way from Home of Truth?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Home of Truth?
How far is Home of Truth from Monticello?
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.