Located in Skamania County, Washington, Babyshoe Pass is a mountain pass. The nearest town is Hood River, about 64 km (39 mi) away (Babyshoe Pass lies N of town).
Babyshoe Pass, is a high pass within Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Forest Route 23 traverses the pass, northwest of Mount Adams in the State of Washington, between Mount Adams flank to the east and Babyshoe Ridge to the west. The pass separates the Lewis River Watershed and the Cispus River drainage. It was built to connect a Forest Highway (Forest Route 23) together, providing the main north-south access on the east side of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the many trails within or near the Mount Adams Wilderness and the Midway High Lakes Area. The source of Babyshoe Falls is a stream that drains through the pass.From the Wikipedia article “Babyshoe Pass”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Babyshoe Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 54° NE | 9:03 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 124° SE | 4:23 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 36m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:15 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:52 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 38m |
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 Babyshoe Pass, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:22 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:18 AM – 3:08 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:45 PM – 2:25 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:25 PM – 1:15 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:06 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:13 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.61 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 29% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 55 | 54 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 92 | 81 | 59 | 47 |
| Low °F | -12 | -9 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 37 | 27 | 14 | -11 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 6.7 |
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 Babyshoe Pass, closest first.
Lake
Waterfall
Lake
LakeWaterfall
National ForestWaterfall
Wilderness Area
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Takhlakh Lake Campground 903 m · reservable
- Adams Fork Campground8.0 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Blue Lake Creek Campground - Gifford Pinchot Nf (Wa)17.7 km (11.0 mi) · reservable
- Walupt Lake Campground19.4 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
- Lewis River Hc (Wa) Gifford Pinchot Nf21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Babyshoe Pass?
What time is golden hour at Babyshoe Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Babyshoe Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Babyshoe Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Babyshoe Pass?
How far is Babyshoe Pass from Hood River?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.