Located in Klamath County, Oregon, Emigrant Pass is a mountain pass at about 1,722 m (5,650 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Oakridge, about 40 km (25 mi) away (Emigrant Pass lies SE of town).
Emigrant Pass is a gap in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of Summit Lake on the border between Klamath and Lane counties. Originally called Willamette Pass, it lay along a primitive road that paralleled the Middle Fork Willamette River to near the crest. The gap's name was changed in 1960, when the mountain pass used by Oregon Route 58 north of Odell Lake was named Willamette Pass. By the 1850s, Emigrant Pass, slightly south of Willamette Pass, was being used by emigrants to the Oregon Territory as a way over the Cascades. In October 1853, a party of 1,500 was almost stranded at the pass, but was saved from a Donner Party-style tragedy by nearby settlers who had begun to improve the route up the Middle Fork Willamette River earlier that year as a shortcut between the Oregon Trail near Boise, Idaho, and the Willamette Valley.From the Wikipedia article “Emigrant Pass (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Emigrant Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:29 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 122° ESE | 4:36 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:52 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 24m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Emigrant Pass, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:01 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:56 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 3:40 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 3:04 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:01 PM – 1:41 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 11:44 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 9:39 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.85 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 25% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). August 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 | 64 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 87 | 94 | 103 | 99 | 96 | 86 | 74 | 58 |
| Low °F | 1 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 36 | 37 | 31 | 21 | 0 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 8.5 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Emigrant Pass, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Lake
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
Lake
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Timpanogas6.2 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Whitefish Horse Camp8.7 km (5.4 mi) · reservable
- Windy Group Camp8.8 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Spring9.9 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Indigo Springs10.6 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Emigrant Pass?
What time is golden hour at Emigrant Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Emigrant Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Emigrant Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Emigrant Pass?
How far is Emigrant Pass from Oakridge?
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.