Hanford — a ghost town in Benton County, Washington — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 18.1 km (11.2 mi) W of Basin City.
Hanford was a small agricultural community in Benton County, Washington, United States. It and White Bluffs were depopulated in 1943 in order to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site. The town was located in what is now the "100F" sector of the site. The original town, named for the judge and irrigation company president Cornelius H. Hanford, was settled in 1907 on land bought by the local power and water utility. In 1913, the town had a spur railroad link to the transcontinental Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, also known as "the electric railroad". By 1925 the booming town enjoyed high agricultural demand and provided a hotel, bank, and elementary and high schools. The federal government condemned Hanford to make way for the Hanford Site. Residents were given a thirty-day eviction notice on March 9, 1943. Most buildings were razed, with...From the Wikipedia article “Hanford, Washington”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hanford the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 54° NE | 8:55 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:40 AM | 124° SE | 4:13 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 34m |
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 | 7:38 AM | 8:27 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:11 PM | 8h 59m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 21m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 01m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 49m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 28m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 13m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:47 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 25m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:27 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:46 PM | 8h 35m |
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 Hanford, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:17 AM – 4:17 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:12 AM – 3:02 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:42 PM – 2:12 AM | 2.5 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:20 PM – 1:00 AM | 1.7 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:09 PM – 10:59 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 8:55 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.45 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 26% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 64 | 64 | 76 | 89 | 99 | 108 | 110 | 109 | 102 | 87 | 70 | 62 |
| Low °F | -3 | 7 | 12 | 27 | 33 | 42 | 49 | 48 | 34 | 19 | 15 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Hanford, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hanford?
What time is golden hour at Hanford?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hanford?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hanford?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hanford?
How far is Hanford from Basin City?
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.