Soldier Summit — a ghost town in Wasatch County, Utah — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Helper, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Soldier Summit lies NW of town).
Soldier Summit is the name of both a mountain pass in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, United States and an unincorporated community that is a near-ghost town located at the pass. Soldier Summit has been an important transportation route between the Wasatch Front and Price, Utah, since the area was settled by the Mormon pioneers. It is on the route of both U.S. Route 6 and the old main line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW), now the Provo Subdivision of the Central Corridor. Located where the road makes a brief bend through the extreme southwest corner of Wasatch County, Soldier Summit historically had more to do with nearby Utah County. At one time both the state highway department and the railroad had operations at the summit, but with the exception of a gas station that is sometimes open, the town site is now abandoned. Today it is a popular rest stop and photo...From the Wikipedia article “Soldier Summit, Utah”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Soldier Summit the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 58° ENE | 8:57 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 15h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 121° ESE | 5:03 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 20m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:54 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:28 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:23 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 59m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:49 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:02 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:13 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 21m |
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 Soldier Summit, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | 5:31 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:41 AM – 6:01 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:39 AM – 4:59 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 4:13 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:58 PM – 3:48 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 2:20 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 12:24 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:06 PM – 10:16 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:16 PM – 8:26 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.64 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 32% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (59%). 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 | 50 | 57 | 68 | 74 | 85 | 90 | 94 | 92 | 89 | 78 | 66 | 51 |
| Low °F | -27 | -21 | -8 | 1 | 15 | 22 | 36 | 33 | 19 | 2 | -17 | -17 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Soldier Summit, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Fish Creek Campground19.9 km (12.4 mi) · reservable
- Price Canyon Recreation Area20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Aspen Grove (Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Ut)22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Renegade Long Term22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Renegade22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Soldier Summit?
What time is golden hour at Soldier Summit?
Where does the sun rise and set at Soldier Summit?
Can you see the Milky Way from Soldier Summit?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Soldier Summit?
How far is Soldier Summit from Helper?
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.