Located in Garfield County, Colorado, Douglas Pass is a mountain pass at about 2,501 m (8,205 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 45 km (28 mi) N of Loma.
Douglas Pass, elevation 8,205 feet (2,501 meters), is a mountain pass in the Book Cliffs of western Colorado. It is located in Garfield County and is traversed by State Highway 139. The pass divides the watersheds of West Douglas Creek to the north and East Salt Creek to the south. It is named for the Northern Ute, Chief Douglas. The pass is not an especially high summit relative to other Colorado passes, and the road, though reasonably steep on the south side (7%), has no tight spots and only a few switchbacks. The summit gives an unusual view of the northeast face of the La Sal Mountains (twelve peaks over 12,000 feet), 76 miles (122 km) away in Utah. The remainder of the drive is basically in valleys following creeks. The Utes had established a trail over the pass, which was subsequently used by European explorers and settlers. The Domínguez–Escalante expedition crossed the pass...From the Wikipedia article “Douglas Pass”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Douglas Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:49 AM | 58° ENE | 8:47 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 120° ESE | 4:55 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 22m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 23m |
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 Douglas Pass, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:22 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:52 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:29 AM – 4:59 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:32 AM – 4:02 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:46 PM – 3:46 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 2:18 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 12:13 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 10:17 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:07 PM – 8:17 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 56 | 59 | 73 | 82 | 96 | 100 | 102 | 98 | 95 | 85 | 69 | 54 |
| Low °F | -11 | -13 | 2 | 17 | 21 | 33 | 44 | 43 | 30 | 6 | -5 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Douglas Pass?
What time is golden hour at Douglas Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Douglas Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Douglas Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Douglas Pass?
How far is Douglas Pass from Loma?
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.