Located in Inyo County, California, Tecopa Hot Springs is a hot spring at about 430 m (1,411 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Pahrump, about 43 km (27 mi) away (Tecopa Hot Springs lies SSW of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tecopa Hot Springs the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:30 AM | 60° ENE | 8:05 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:52 AM | 119° ESE | 4:35 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 43m |
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
Steam is most visible on cold mornings; backlight from a low sun makes rising steam glow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:12 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 5:55 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:06 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 44m |
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 Tecopa Hot Springs, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:33 AM – 5:03 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:38 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:39 AM – 4:39 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:44 PM – 3:54 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:52 PM – 3:32 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:47 PM – 2:07 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:10 PM – 12:10 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:20 PM – 10:10 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:36 PM – 8:06 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.69 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 16% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (42%). July 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 | 81 | 80 | 92 | 101 | 111 | 116 | 117 | 115 | 114 | 102 | 89 | 75 |
| Low °F | 22 | 23 | 29 | 33 | 41 | 49 | 61 | 57 | 47 | 32 | 24 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
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 hot spring
- Respect bathers' privacy: ask before including people at soaking pools.
- Wind direction determines where steam drifts; shoot from the upwind side to see the pool.
- Condensation forms quickly on lenses; let gear acclimate and carry a cloth.
- Keep to boardwalks and marked paths — crusts around thermal features can be thin and the water dangerously hot.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Winter gives the most dramatic steam; some primitive springs are only accessible in summer.
Suggested gear: Circular polarizer, Lens cloth, Telephoto for distant pools. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Tecopa Hot Springs, closest first.
Canyon
Mountain Pass
Wilderness Area
Sand Dunes
Sand DunesFAQ
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Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.