Located in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, Blue Hole is a lake at about 1,402 m (4,600 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 900 m ENE of Santa Rosa.
The Blue Hole of Santa Rosa, or simply the Blue Hole, is a circular, bell-shaped pool or small lake located along Route 66 east of Santa Rosa, New Mexico that is a tourist attraction and swimming venue, and one of the most popular dive destinations in the US for scuba diving and training. The Blue Hole is an artesian well and cenote that was once used as a fish hatchery.From the Wikipedia article “Blue Hole (New Mexico)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Blue Hole 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 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 60° ENE | 8:16 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:03 AM | 119° ESE | 4:52 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 48m |
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
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 04m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 17m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:21 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 49m |
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 Blue Hole, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:37 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.7 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:51 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:51 AM – 4:51 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:55 PM – 4:15 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:02 PM – 3:52 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:57 PM – 2:27 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:22 PM – 12:22 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 10:23 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:50 PM – 8:30 PM | 0.7 | 16° | 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: 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 ≈ 20.88 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 35% average cloud cover) and August as the cloudiest (47%). 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 | 71 | 80 | 87 | 95 | 101 | 107 | 110 | 105 | 98 | 92 | 82 | 73 |
| Low °F | 14 | 1 | 15 | 24 | 31 | 48 | 54 | 52 | 36 | 19 | 15 | 14 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
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 lake
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Blue Hole, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Blue Hole?
What time is golden hour at Blue Hole?
Where does the sun rise and set at Blue Hole?
Can you see the Milky Way from Blue Hole?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Blue Hole?
How far is Blue Hole from Santa Rosa?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.