Willamette Pass is a mountain pass in Klamath County, Oregon at about 1,563 m (5,128 ft) above sea level. It is part of Deschutes National Forest. It sits roughly 38 km (23 mi) ESE of Oakridge.
Willamette Pass (5,128 ft or 1,563 m) is a mountain pass crossing the crest of the Cascade Range in Oregon, United States. It is less commonly known as Willamette Summit. The pass is traversed by Oregon Route 58 and by Union Pacific's (ex-Southern Pacific) Cascade Subdivision, which provides rail access between Portland, Oregon, and California. Amtrak's Coast Starlight uses this route on its way between Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. The Willamette Pass Resort ski area is located above the pass.From the Wikipedia article “Willamette Pass”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Willamette Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (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) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 123° ESE | 4:35 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 4:12 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Willamette 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 | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:35 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:59 AM – 3:39 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:13 PM – 3:03 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:00 PM – 1:40 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 11:43 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:38 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 ≈ 21.83 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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
- 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 Willamette Pass, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Trapper Creek Campground2.1 km (1.3 mi) · reservable
- Princess Creek Campground2.8 km (1.8 mi) · reservable
- Gold Lake Campground (Or)4.0 km (2.5 mi) · reservable
- Sunset Cove Campground7.3 km (4.5 mi) · reservable
- Shadow Bay10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Willamette Pass?
What time is golden hour at Willamette Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Willamette Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Willamette Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Willamette Pass?
How far is Willamette 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.