Ibex Pass — a mountain pass in Inyo County, California at about 633 m (2,077 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Pahrump, about 56 km (35 mi) away (Ibex Pass lies SW of town).
Ibex Pass [el. 2,072 ft (632 m)] is a mountain pass in the Sperry Hills of Central-Southern California in the United States. The pass is at the summit in a range of desert hills between the Baker area and the Shoshone area and is located on the border of Inyo County and San Bernardino County. The pass connects Interstate 15 with access to Death Valley National Park, and it is traversed by State Route 127. A ghost town called Ibex Springs, from 1940s talc mining, is located about two miles south of the pass. The nearest settlement is Tecopa, located 10 miles away by road.From the Wikipedia article “Ibex Pass”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ibex Pass 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) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:30 AM | 60° ENE | 8:06 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:52 AM | 119° ESE | 4:36 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 44m |
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
Mountain passes sit above valleys, so they reward sunrise and sunset with layered ridges, valley fog and long shadows.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:12 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 21m |
| August | 5:38 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 5:55 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:00 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:07 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 45m |
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 Ibex Pass, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.71 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 mountain pass
- Check road status before driving: many high passes close seasonally or after storms.
- Look for the road itself as a leading line — switchbacks from above make strong compositions.
- Weather changes fast at elevation; carry layers even in summer.
- Summit pull-outs often face one direction; use the sun azimuth table to see whether sunrise or sunset suits the view.
- Wildflowers bloom late at pass elevations — often July to early August in the Rockies and Sierra.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Summer and early autumn are the main season; winter visits depend on plowing and avalanche conditions.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Tripod, Warm layers, Road-condition app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Ibex Pass, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Sand Dunes
Canyon
Hot Spring
Sand DunesFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ibex Pass?
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Where does the sun rise and set at Ibex Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ibex Pass?
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How far is Ibex Pass from Pahrump?
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.