Barlow Pass is a mountain pass in Snohomish County, Washington at about 720 m (2,362 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Gold Bar, about 27 km (17 mi) away (Barlow Pass lies NE of town).
Barlow Pass (elevation 2,362 feet (720 m)) is a mountain pass on the west side of the Cascades in Washington on the Mountain Loop Highway between Silverton and Darrington. It is a popular trail head for access to the old mining town of Monte Cristo and has a branch off to hike up to Gothic Basin, which is about a mile in. The mining boom at Monte Cristo, starting in 1890, resulted in the need for access to the remote town. In 1891 a wagon road was built along the Sauk River, from the Skagit River to Monte Cristo. That same year it was discovered that Monte Cristo could be accessed via the South Fork Stillaguamish River. Railroad surveyor & engineer John Quincy Barlow (1861–1949) blazed a route from Silverton to Monte Cristo. Mining interests funded further work and soon a wagon road was built over Barlow Pass to join the Sauk wagon road. Later a railroad would be built over the same...From the Wikipedia article “Barlow Pass (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Barlow Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 53° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 126° SE | 4:16 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 22m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:55 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:49 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:27 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:50 PM | 8h 24m |
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 July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:42 AM – 4:12 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:44 AM – 2:54 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:23 AM – 1:43 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:49 PM – 12:49 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 10:47 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.3 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
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.
- Weather changes fast at elevation; carry layers even in summer.
- 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 Barlow Pass, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Peak
Ghost Town
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Bedal Campground8.9 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Coal Creek Group Camp10.5 km (6.5 mi) · reservable
- Troublesome Creek Campground14.6 km (9.1 mi) · reservable
- Red Bridge Campground 16.1 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- Boardman Group Camp17.9 km (11.1 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 Gold Bar?
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.