Barlow Pass is a mountain pass in Hood River County, Oregon at about 1,267 m (4,157 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mount Hood Village, about 24 km (15 mi) away (Barlow Pass lies ESE of town).
Barlow Pass is a 4,155-foot (1,266 m) mountain pass in the Cascades in Oregon, on the Oregon Trail, and one of the major milestones of the Barlow Road. It is the crest of the Cascade Mountains: the dividing line between watersheds of the Deschutes River and those that flow into the Sandy River. It is located on the southern flanks of Mount Hood and traversed by Oregon Route 35. Highway 35 and the Barlow Road converge to within 400 ft (125 m) at the pass. Originally a "rustic and scenic" summer road, Highway 35 was straightened and widened throughout 1964–1968 for practical winter road maintenance. Sharp turns were eliminated and elevation changes more graduated, unlike the Barlow Road, which sharply descends westward at the foot of the pass. The Barlow Road route is popular for cross country skiing, and the pass is a trailhead to the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs north and...From the Wikipedia article “Barlow Pass (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Barlow Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 55° NE | 8:59 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 124° ESE | 4:28 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 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 | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 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 Barlow Pass, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:12 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:11 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:10 AM – 3:20 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:32 PM – 2:42 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:15 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.54 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 25% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 61 | 60 | 74 | 80 | 90 | 93 | 99 | 96 | 96 | 83 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | -2 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
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
- Wildflowers bloom late at pass elevations — often July to early August in the Rockies and Sierra.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Barlow Pass, closest first.
Waterfall
LakeWaterfallWaterfall
National Forest
Glacier
GlacierLakeWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Trillium4.1 km (2.6 mi) · reservable
- Still Creek4.4 km (2.7 mi) · reservable
- Frog Lake6.6 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- Clear Lake (Or)11.6 km (7.2 mi) · reservable
- Nottingham Campground13.1 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Barlow Pass?
What time is golden hour at Barlow Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Barlow Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Barlow Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Barlow Pass?
How far is Barlow Pass from Mount Hood Village?
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.