Tono — a ghost town in Thurston County, Washington — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 9.4 km (5.8 mi) SSE of Tenino.
Tono is a ghost town in southwest Washington in the United States. It was a company-owned mining town founded in 1907 by the Washington Union Coal Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad to supply coal for their steam locomotives. Tono was located in southern Thurston County about 20 miles (32 km) south of Olympia, Washington, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Tenino, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Bucoda, at the end of a railroad spur.From the Wikipedia article “Tono, Washington”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tono the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (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) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 54° NE | 9:10 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 125° SE | 4:26 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 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 | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:24 PM | 8h 58m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 02m |
| June | 4:38 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 50m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 13m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 24m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:24 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 34m |
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 Tono, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), 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 | 5:28 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:31 AM – 4:21 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:37 AM – 3:07 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:59 PM – 2:19 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:36 PM – 1:16 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:24 PM – 11:14 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 9:09 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.95 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 48% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (81%). August is the warmest month and December 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 | 60 | 59 | 70 | 84 | 90 | 95 | 101 | 98 | 95 | 83 | 65 | 57 |
| Low °F | 4 | 5 | 16 | 22 | 29 | 37 | 41 | 42 | 30 | 22 | 6 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.6 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 6.6 | 10.1 | 9.8 |
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.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- 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 Tono, closest first.
State Park
Lake
State Park
Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tono?
What time is golden hour at Tono?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tono?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tono?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tono?
How far is Tono from Tenino?
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.