Blue Mountain Pass is a mountain pass in Malheur County, Oregon at about 1,614 m (5,295 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Winnemucca, about 150 km (93 mi) away (Blue Mountain Pass lies N of town).
Blue Mountain Pass is a high mountain pass in Oregon, United States. It is traversed by U.S. Highway 95. It is located on The Great Basin Divide, separating the watersheds of the Quinn River & Owyhee River. It gets its name from Blue Mountain (elevation 7435), which is just west of the pass. Blue Mountain and Blue Mountain Pass are located in south eastern Oregon, approximately 25 miles north of the Nevada border. They are not a part of the similarly named Blue Mountains of north eastern Oregon.From the Wikipedia article “Blue Mountain Pass”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Blue Mountain Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:55 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 57° ENE | 8:32 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 122° ESE | 4:22 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 05m |
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 | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 16m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 06m |
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 Blue Mountain Pass, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:31 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:43 PM – 2:53 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:33 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 28% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 60 | 65 | 77 | 86 | 95 | 102 | 105 | 100 | 98 | 90 | 72 | 58 |
| Low °F | -16 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 22 | 30 | 42 | 40 | 28 | 14 | 4 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Blue Mountain Pass?
What time is golden hour at Blue Mountain Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Blue Mountain Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Blue Mountain Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Blue Mountain Pass?
How far is Blue Mountain Pass from Winnemucca?
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.