Bridger Pass — a mountain pass in Carbon County, Wyoming at about 2,313 m (7,589 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 31 km (19 mi) SSW of Rawlins. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bridger Pass is a mountain pass in Carbon County, Wyoming on the Continental Divide of the Americas near the south Great Divide Basin bifurcation point, i.e., the point at which the divide appears to split and envelop the basin. The first documented crossing of Bridger Pass was by the Stansbury Expedition, returning east from an expedition to Utah and guided by Jim Bridger. A decade later the pass was in regular use by travelers on the Overland Trail and the associated stage line, these having been established along the route described by Stansbury and known since that time as the Cherokee Trail. To support the stage line, the Bridger Stage Station was established near the pass. The Overland Trail was used steadily between 1860 and 1869 until the First transcontinental railroad made the stage line obsolete.From the Wikipedia article “Bridger Pass”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bridger Pass the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 57° ENE | 8:48 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 121° ESE | 4:43 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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 | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 11m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Bridger Pass, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | 5:27 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:40 AM – 4:40 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:38 AM – 3:48 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:56 PM – 3:26 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:46 PM – 1:56 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:56 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:55 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:02 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.92 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 September as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (67%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 49 | 54 | 68 | 76 | 89 | 93 | 96 | 94 | 90 | 76 | 63 | 49 |
| Low °F | -26 | -37 | -6 | 2 | 15 | 27 | 40 | 36 | 23 | -5 | -12 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bridger Pass?
What time is golden hour at Bridger Pass?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bridger Pass?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bridger Pass?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bridger Pass?
How far is Bridger Pass from Rawlins?
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.